


Out of bound

by creativwritingmind



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Blurryface, F/M, Friendship, Kidnapping, Mental Instability, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-03 19:03:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8726557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creativwritingmind/pseuds/creativwritingmind
Summary: When Jenna is kidnapped Tylers whole world is crashing and he starts to loose himself. Will his friends be able to keep him sane and help him get her back?





	1. Chapter 1

Emotions always had a taste for Tyler. Fear tasted metallic, a littlebit like blood, it's taste was one of the most prominent, one that sticked to his throat and nearly made him puke every time it got too intense. This time it combined with the acid taste of panic, like a mixture of strong grapefuit-like bitterness and the foul of morning breath. Tyler knew he shouldn't have thought of tastes when his mind was needed elsewhere so badly. But in the few minutes between the police leaving his hotelroom and Josh coming in he couldn't stand to ponder what component of the awefull taste in his mouth he didn't get.

Maybe it was a self-defense mechanism his sanity brought up...there were not much options to not go crazy right now. Screaming and throwing things had been one of them. Crying and breaking down another. Tyler had settled on staying controlled and seperate his mind from his heart, at least for some time. It scared Josh way more then any other reaction to all this would have. 

Quietly the drummer shut the door leaned against it, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to even his breath before he creeped closer to the bed, sitting down beside the younger. "Hey..." he whispered, somehow muted by the events, not wanting to disturb the calmness Tyler seemed to wrap around himself. For the last seven hours the singer had sat like this, he hadn't moved, he hadn't talked, they even had to force him to drink at least a little bit of water so he would not fade. But maybe that had been a mistake, Josh concluded. It would have been better to let Tyler go dark so he would not have to witness what was happening around them. 

First they had thought of it as a joke. It had been later afternoon when Tyler called his wife to ask where she was, because they would have to drive to the venue soon and she was still out in the city, shopping. There were no answer to her phone, so the singer asked their bodyguards which one of them went with her. And that was when the whole story began to escalate quiet quickly. 

It turned out that Jenna hadn't took anybody with her. She had been pretty sick of touring lately, of being surrounded by people constantly, of not getting any alone time neither with or without her husband. Nobody had seen a severe risk in her strolling through some stores in a european city all on her own...with sunglases and a hat on nearly nobody ever recognised her when she was not with Tyler. 

They had waited for another hour then, Josh absently drumming nervous beats on his thights, his friend sitting nearly motionless in the lounge of their bus starring at his phone, trying to call his wife over and over. When the tourmanager decided to split the crew, let one part of them go search for Jenna and the other, including the band, going to the venue in order to get on their show, Josh had wanted to punch him in the face, even if he understood that it was the only right thing to do. 

They could not go out there on theirselfs, not with so much fans running around in the city, plus everybody wanted to keep a positive mood. Nobody wanted to speak about what they all feared, let alone think about it. It had been Tyler himself who vocalised it, an hour before they should have gotten on stage. "She's not good, Josh." It had been the first thing his friend said during the whole process and the drummer had stopped in his motion of walking up and down in their dressing room. "Don't think that, bro, she's probably only..." "I feel it. She's not good." 

And that was all, all Josh got from him up to the point to where they were now, sitting beside each other on the hotel bed, feeling more distant then they might ever had. "Hey." Josh repeated, taking up the courage to finally talk to his friend, "How are you?" The sarcastic little smile Tyler gave for a second before his expression went blank again could have been beautiful if it hadn't been for the dark circles around his eyes. "Like a grapefruit cut by a metal blade." Furrowing his brow Josh observed the youngers face carefully. Everyone had been surprised by his reaction, everyone had waited for him to snap. Damn, the drummer would have snapped himself when he would have been in Tylers position. But his friend showed no signs of insanity, in the opposite he seemed to be totally collected.

"So...bitter and parted?" the older tried to keep the conversation going, to grab a hold of what was running through the others mind. "Sliced open and bleeding out." The monotony of his voice was what hit Josh the most, more then the words, he had become accostumed to the others dramatic usage of vocabulary. Letting his shaking hand wander and find the cold, rigid one of the younger Josh interlaced their fingers to find any sort of connection, to provide any sort of help in a situation he couldn't even handle himself. 

"What did they say?" A few deep inhales and exhales filled the silence before Tyler spoke again, hollow words dripping down his chapped lips, eyes never leaving a point far beyond the walls around them. "They found the shop she was in last. They've checked the security cams. She talked to someone on the outside, then dissapeared from the screen. That's it. They've got nothing." The light squeeze on his hand remained unanswered, Tyler was not able to move his body at that point, all strength he had left was invested in the task to stay calm, to stay silent, controlled. 

He couldn't loose it, he just couldn't go fucking crazy when she was missing out there. Yet his mind tried hard to break him down by throwing flashes of guilt at him, dry jokes in form of his own words, when he wished he could turn back time. "We...we will find her, Ty, ok? I promise you we'll find her and everything is going to be good and..." The moment couldn't have been more obscure, with Josh stumbling over his own empty promise, breaking on his tears. With the same coldness he answered the polices questions Tyler pulled his hand back and returned to his solidifite state. "She's not good." was all he said for a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Jenna realised when she woke up was the taste. It was metallic, bitter somehow, but her mind was too fogged to find a proper definition. Groaning she raised her head from where it seemed to lay against a wall, her vision spinning the moment she opened her eyes, leaving her with a nauseous feeling in her stomach and a pain between her temples. 

Slowly she tried to assamble what had happened, her view stabeling bit by bit until she dared to move a little. The pain exploded behind her eyes and she wanted to grab her head with her hands, but couldn't move them. Lolling her head in the other direction, her movements strangly limited and unsure, she found the reason why. Both her wrists where secured in thight handcuffs, attached to a pipe beside a radiator. 

That was when she found the word that fittet to the taste in her mouth: Panic. Within seconds her mind was wide awake, recognised how unsure her body reacted to it's commands, came to the conclusion that she was drugged somehow. Fearfull tears welling up her eyes Jenna tried frantically to wriggle her hands out of the cold metal bonds, only to cut open her skin on their edges, leaving her wirists red and nearly bleeding. 

"No...nononononono...." she chanted, frigthened took a look around, absorbing her surroundings. The room she was in gave the impression of a cheap motel bathroom, she felt the tiles underneath her the moment she recognised them, it left her body shivering of the shock and the coldness radiating from the slick ground she sat on. There were a tube in there, not dirty, but clearly old enough to have seen better days, as well as the blank mirror above a sink with a deep crack in it. 

It was alarming surreal and real at the same time. Nothing gave away what had happened to her and after restraining her urge to yell out because she was not sure who might hear her, she tried to calm her down to a point where she actually could think logicaly. The last thing she remembered was the little girl. It had been an wonderful afternoon, one she hadn't had in a long time. After having another argument with Tyler the evening before, fleeing the narowness of the bus all on her own had been the only remedy. 

During her trip into the city she had calmed down, overthought her own words, decided to apologise. Tyler loved her with all his heart, she knew that, and when he sometimes had to put other things before her it affected him almost more then herself. But still she had given him a hard time just because he had canceled another evening alone with her in attempt to practice some of the transition between their songs on stage with Josh. 

She had been about to went back when the little girl outside the store approached her. With big brown eyes and a shy smile she asked kindly if Jenna could help her to find her dad, and of course she pledged to help. Wondering why the girl let her to a side street so confident, but not giving it a second thought, she had followed. "That's my daddy!" the girl had yelled out of a sudden and ran to a car. Jenna had been glad that it all went so quickly and bowed down to the window to talk to the man, who she thought must have been upset for loosing his daughter in the confusion of a busy afternoon. 

A shudder ran through her body as she remembered the hands that had gripped her head violently, pulled her upper body into the car and pressed a sharp smelling cloath to her mouth. Tears already streaming down her face Jenna recalled how she had fought, kicked, tried to yell but felt her body go limp, her conciousness fade with every deep breath her panicing lungs drew in, with every rush of toxicated air that rushed through her system. 

Her last thought had been Tyler, and that she never would have a chance to say sorry. Sobbing and shivering she tried to free her hands again, mumbeling "Oh god!" s and "This can't be real!" s in distress. But the more she tugged on her unforgiving restrains and the more her strength faded Jenna began to accept the fact, as obvious as cruel he was: She had been kidnapped and nobody was there to help her. 

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Silently closing the door to his friends room Josh ran his hands over his tired eyes. As he lowered them again he were greated with the sight of the < inner circle > of their tour crew sitting in the hallway that headed to their rooms, all of them in various positions from leaning on the wall to lying on the floor, but in the same visible tauntness. Mark was the one who came up to him finally, pulling him into a hug, sensing that Josh needed just that right now. "Is he asleep?" "No. He's in some form of vegetative state I guess. He doesn't react to anything since hours." 

The drummer freed himself from the other and sunk down on the floor, legs proped up to his chest. "Have you found anything?" Everybody avoided his gaze so he knew the answer already, but Mark wasn't willing to give up yet and tried to keep them going. "We have talked to the guys in the shop again, one of them said he has seen Jenna talk to a little girl. Police is assorting security videos of other shops around and hope to find any hints. Michael is calling all hospitals in town every hour to check up and I will head out with some of the guys when it dawns again to ask random people on the street she dissappeared. Somebody must have seen her." 

Josh nodded thankful, not able to talk, barely strong enough to keep himself awake. They were up for more then 36 hours now, all of them had not more then a few hours of sleep, but the one he were worried most for was Tyler, who had not slept at all. At some point his body would just give in, but for now the singers stubborn mind had taken control and refused him the alleviative blankness of sleep. As if he would read his mind Mark bent down to catch the sleeve of the drummers sweatshirt and pulled a little to convince him to stand up again.

"Come on, Bro, you need to go to bed. I'll take care of Ty for a while, ok?" Josh was so through with himself and the world that he couldn't protest anymore at that point, so he padded behind his friend who brought him to another room and flopped down on the bed there, fading out as a light in seconds. 

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Tyler did recognise that his best friend left and another of his close ones took his place on his side, but he didn't gave any reaction to it, didn't even blink. Somewhere in the back of his mind he screamed, he tossed and spit, but that part was well controlled at the moment, dominated by the mantra he had let become his only thought: She's alive, she's alive, she's alive – she has to be. 

On the brink of his perception he heared Mark talk, explaining what they had done to find his wife, what they would do next. He was glad that they still talked to him, even if he didn't reply, Josh had done it for hours and now it seemed they started to take turns. It was the only thing that fixed him in reality right now, gave him the feeling of something content, when his natural comprehension of time had already faded. "How long?" Tyler managed to croak out suddenly, so quiet and small that Mark nearly didn't get it. He stopped in his rambling to give the singer an unbelieving gaze. "Have you just said something?" "How long?" the question was repeated, barly audible. 

"A littlebit over thirty nine hours. Tyler, I'm so s..." "Did you know that 90 % of people who are missing longer then 36 hours have fallen prey to some kind of crime?" This time the singers voice was more steady, more present although he looked like a ghost, pale and exhausted and dark. "Don't say that. There is still the possibility she has been hurt and is not able to contact us yet but will do as soon a she can." A shaky hand came up and ran over´short brown hair, Mark observed the motion well and knew that the point of his friend just collapsing was not far away anymore. 

"Are you trying to ease me? You're doing hell of a job." "Neither has Josh. Neither can anyone of us. Fuck, Ty, I've no idea how to deal with this myself and I don't even want to try to understand what you're going through right now. All I can do is refusing to give up hope, and that's what I'm going to do." Turning his head to face the singer Mark found him sitting with closed eyes, swaying slightly. "I'll not let you give up hope either." he added as Tyler exhaled and fell back down on the bed, his body finally winning the battle his mind had fought.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxx

 

Going through different stages of horror Jenna found a new level as she heared the doorknob slowly turn. For the past what seemed hours she had tried to find a way to free herself or make herself known to someone who could help her, but the windowless small romm offered no resolution to her problems, all she could be thankfull for was the dim light of the naked bulb on the ceiling. 

Creeping as far back into the wall as possible her body acted on his own as the door swung open slowly. Jenna felt herself nearly snap of fear in the anticipation of her kidnapper...and was stunned and frozen as a stranger in a skimask entered the room. A cry tried to brake out of her lungs, but turned into a whimper somewhere along the way. The person stayed away from her though, as if not to fright her further, took place at the toilet and just looked at her. The colour of her keepers eyes hit her...it was the same that reflected on her when Tyler looked at her that way, his face hidden under a mask for a performance. It had always made her uneasy to see him this way, now she wasn't sure if it hadn't been kind of a hunch. 

Slender fingers were wrapped around the handle of a pistol, it looked wrong somehow, as if they were not used to hold a weapon. Fueled by pure adrenalin Jennas senses worked at high speed and took in all the details, made her watch the situation and herself from the outside. Through the crack of the door she could see the little girl sitting on a hotel bed, obviously watching TV, eating some fast food. She didn't react to the scene in the bathroom at all, as if it was normal that this man threatened a captured woman. 

The clearing of his throath brought Jennas attention back to her kindnapper, who still watched her intenivly, but now held out his other hand and dropped a bag on the floor beside her. "I'm going to free you now. You will eat. You will pee. And then you'll sit down and I will handcuff you again. If you try anything stupid..." he didn't had to end his sentence, it was as cliche as it was clear by the way he waved the gun at her. Eyes wide open, her voice wobbling Jenna broke out. "What do you want from me?" The masked stranger tilted his head a little, then smiled. "I want nothing from you, you're just part of a trade." Confused Jenna shook her head, not understanding what he was talking about. "Oh, there might be a thing I want from you...unlock your phone for me, will you?" the stranger got on sweetly, nearly genuine. 

"What..do...you want?" Jenna stummered out again, not holding back the tears anymore that constantly streamed down her face and left dark traces of her make up on her cheeks. Again the brown eyes fixed her and drilled into her soul. "I want to talk to Tyler."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for comments...even the negative ones ;)

To recognise your dreaming makes most people wish to wake up soon. Tyler did all he could to hold on to the dream he was in, although he had long identified the world he was in as not real, but it gave him a better home then the reality could have done. She was there, with him, in his arms, safe. The singer would have sold his soul to turn the imagination into something to grab as he felt it slowly drifting away, pushed aside by familiar piano chords that intruded his mind and woke him up against his will. 

Even when he opened his eyes Tyler couldn't locate the sound in the beginning, he had a hard time locating himself, connecting with his body again. Humming absently along the words fell in place and he learned it was < Tear in my heart > playing, constantly and instrumental, somehow slightly pitched on the edges, as if played through speaker of a smaller technical device. Phone. Ringtone. Jenna. 

The words exploded behind his front and Tyler shot up, tried to grab his phone with such intensity that it slid out his hands and fell to the floor, him following suit without thinking or protecting or caring how he fell. By time he grabbed it it had stopped ringing and his numb fingers needed longer then he could bear to unlock it. "Fuck!" he hissed as he saw 3 missed calls, all from his wifes number, his soul in a storm of emotions, all the calmness and controll gone. 

The redial – sound pierced his ear as he was oversensitiv, overloaded by now. One ring followed another, and one more, then the line was picked up, but nobody said anything. Tylers heart dropped. He didn't knew why but he knew what was comming, so he closed his eyes and braced himself, tried to sound not so much like himself, like the defensless emo he thought he was. 

"Who is this?" "Hello Tyler." a manly voice said slowly and the singer bit in his fist to not cry out. The way this two words were spoken confirmed his guess, Jenna was no good indeed. "Where is she? Who are you? If you hurt her I swear I fucking kill you with my bare hands!" A light chuckle on the other side of the line made his vision going red and Tyler groaned, drove his fist into the wall beside him, witch left a dent and surely alarmed the others in the room behind it. 

"I'm serious! I'm gonna rip your heart out, I gonna bite your throat, I..." "Chill, man." Again only two simple words were spoken by the stranger but they were enough to shut him up not because Tyler would have been a submissive person, but something about the voice touched a string in him and forced him to listen. "Good. You need to listen, man. Listen carefully, I won't say anything twice. Your wife is with me. She is fine...yet. If you follow my instructions nothing will happen to her. If you don't..." The stranger let the words linger in the air, more a threat then the speaking out could have been. 

"What the hell do you want? Money? That's no problem! How much? When? Where?" Tyler didn't care how desperate he sounded then, all he wanted was this nightmare to be over soon. The stranger laughed a little, which made him even more mad, and he kicked the bedside table harshly, ignoring the pain shooting up in his leg. "Well, we don't have to discuss this one then...but I need more, baby boy." "Don't you dare to call me this! Who the fuck are you?" Of course the stranger was not impressed. "You don't know me man...but I know you...better then you think. Shut up and listen now, my time is precious! First of all you're right...I want money. I want a million dollar, at least. And then...I need a plan to get me and my pal out of this shithole of a country." 

"You can buy a fucking jet with that! You don't need me for that part of whatever sick plan you're following!" "It's not that easy. You will learn more later...for now...if you call the police, she's dead. If you do something otherwise stupid, she's dead. If you and your little emo-friends think you can dupe me, she's dead. I've got nothing to loose so you better don't try to fuck with me. Get the money and I will call you tomorrow evening for further instructions."

There was it again, the nearly silent exchange of breaths without words flowing between them. Tyler had came to an halt, closed his eyes, tried not to go insane then and there on the clench in his chest as he spoke two simple letters, cold and calculating. "No." "Wow...that's pretty hardcore man...you don't give a lot about that bitch, hm? So you might not worry if I go have some fun with her now?" The tremble started in his fingertips and slowly crawled up his arms. The singer hurried to reply before it could reach his throat and weaken his voice.

"Nope asshole, Now YOU listen to me! This is not how this is going to work, got me? You'll get your fucking money, I'll get you abroad however, but I will not trust somebody who has already prooven that he gives a fuck about Jennas life! You let me talk to her or we are done right here, right now! I need proove that she is alive and well or I will not move a single finger, motherfucker!" 

His knees nearly giving in Tyler stabled himself with one hand on the wall, head hanging, chest heaving and falling heavy in the rise of upcoming panic. This was the moment...the moment he would learn if she was still alive. Never before he had expierienced such an intense fear as in that second. Clearly the guy on the other end of the line was thrown off by his sudden change of demanour. "I...you can't...fuck!" he stummbled, then cleared his throat and got on stronger. "I have to think about that. You should do some thinking to, idiot!" 

The lack of noise when the line went dead hit Tyler like an explosion. He felt like being torned from the inside out and all his anger and fear mixed up until he broke. A growl started in his chest and grow to a scream as his hands grabbed a table and shoved it upside down. Loosing controll he slipped deeper and deeper into his rage and broke everything that happened to be in his way. When the door flew open and Mark stormed in a vase flew straight across the room and smashed on the doorframe beside of the videographer, who froze in his tracks wide eyed and frightened. 

"Tyler! Are you crazy?" "GET OUT!" "Man, you need to..." "LEAVE ME..." a lamp followed, this time better angled, it only didn't hit it's aim because Mark ducked away in time. "...ALONE!" As fast as possible he retreated and banged the door shut again, stumbeling back to the opposite wall of the hallway, panting. "What is wrong?" "What is he doing in there?" "Mark, what..." Without answering the waiting crew members, the videographer dashed foreward again and ran get the only person that could handle this right now.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Waking up from a dreamless sleep shouldn't have felt so damn hardcore like it did this time. Josh decided that opening his eyes to loud noises out of the other room and a yelling Marks' face only centimeters away from his own was his less prefered way of coming to life again. "Dude....get....up....Tyler...out...no....chance!" Loud bangs and crashes disrupted Marks speech so the drummer pushed his friends hands off his shoulders and sat up, rubbing his pulsing temples. "What the heck is this noise?" he snapped at the man before him, who increased his volume.  
"Tyler is freaking out! You need to stop him before he hurts somebody!" It was enough to get Josh wide awake. In nothing but his boxers he stumbled out of bed and ran for the door, didn't let himself being slowed down by the door to Tylers room or the fact the singer turned the moment he got in and wanted to throw something at him, and tackled his friend full force so they went both on the ground.

Instinctivly the drummer slung his arms and legs around the younger's frame so Tyler was unable to move, still he trashed and screamed. Giving a curse as the singer bit him in his arm Josh learned that he must have been frightened out of his mind. This was not a vandalism, this was a full panic attack. It was one of the things that had been part of why their friendship was so special: When they got anxious, both of them happened to be destructive, most of the time against themselfs. But when they paniced, destruction changed into violence way too easy. They both knew the feeling and so they could help the other to stay in check.

"TYLER! CALM...FUCK!" another hiss escaped the drummers mouth as his friend managed to get one of his feet out and started immediatly to kick his shin. "LET...ME...GO!" Tyler accomponied each of the kicks with a strangled word, still completly in a rush, disconnected from himself. Feeling himself getting kind of pissed slowly Josh decided to set an end to this. He let go of the younger but just to push himself up and the other down so Tyler layed on his back and was straddled by his weight, his arms pinned above his head. 

"I don't want to hurt you bro, but I swear if you don't get a hold on yourself immediatly I'm going to punch you right in the face!" Josh growled, taking advantage of the fact that Tyler might have been the more flexible one of them, but when it came down to muscels he just had zero chance. "Get off!" Tyler spit back, his voice raspy and broken then, fire still burning in his eyes but pain slowly welling up. "Not until you calm down, dude." The shudder told the drummer that the resistance was about to break, and he let out a deep breath. "Ty, it's me. You can let go." 

He knew he had succeded to push through the outer layers of his friends racing mind even before the tears drowned the singers eyes. Josh fell back against the floor and pulled the younger with him the second Tylers breath became irregular, yelping. He hugged his friends as hard as he could, tried to stop him spasming, get him relaxed. "Tyler...breath with me...in...out...listen to my breath...just calm down ok...you'll be ok...calm down..." he whispered into the youngers hair, recognising that his stragety actually started to work and the singer went from completly riggid to partly limp in his arms.

Still there were too much tension to his frame to let him go, seeking for a resolution Josh tried to learn what had wounded him up so bad. "Talk to me." he added softly, running a hand up and down the others back. Patiently waiting for an answer he concentrated on breathing regular and stable himself, giving Tyler a beat like he was used to do. "Somebody took her." it came out hesitant in the end, so terrified and haunted that the drummer was shaken to his bone by it himself. 

"What do you mean?" "Someone called...from her phone...he wants money...he's crazy...he...he said...that...said..." Sensing that Tyler was about to loose it again Josh dragged him up and gripped his shoulders, trying to catch his gaze and stable him. "Ty, focus! What did he say?" "A million dollar. And I have to get him out of the country. He said I should get the money and wait for him to call tomorrow." Squinting his eyes shut on the pain in his soul Josh exhaled shakly now himself. 

"Shit! We need to call the..." "No! No cops!" "But Tyler we..." Two hands gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled Josh closer to his friends face. "No police." the singer repeated, for one second seeming completly in command of himself, intimidating and strong. Nervous Josh raised his hands in a defendsive manner and leaned back a little. "Alright! So what did you tell him?" "That I won't follow any orders until he let me speak to her." Surprised the drummer snorted. "And?" "He hung up." 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Intently listening Jenna tried to forget about the pain in her back. She didn't know for how long she had been in this position, sitting against the cold wall with her hands cuffed to the rail, but it started to get really uncomfortable by time. Her keeper hat left the room, still she could understand every single word through the paper thin walls. The blonde flinched as she heard him calling her husband by his nickname. Whoever that guy was he seemed to know enough about them to have this informations. 

Again tears fell down her eyes as she thought of Tyler. She hoped so much he was going to be ok, yet she knew he would be out of his mind right now. Of course Jenna loved him...but the way her husband adored her was far beyond everything normal people called love. Tyler breathed through her, her lived for her...if it wasn't for Jenna he would have been long gone. She had become his purpose over the years and he could hardly stand seeing her with a caugh, let alone being in high fevers. Loosing her was his biggest fear, the one that gave him nightmares every now and then, when he wasn't all to good anyway and his overactive imagination gave him pictures.

Jenna hated herself for parting form him with an argument. Like so often it had been her temper and impatience that had triggered it, and Tyler had tried to play along, stay calm, talk her down, which always got her only more wound up in the process. It had been unfair, she realised now, that she sat alone in the blank room, sniffeling quietly pulling her knees up to her body so she could safe a littlebit of warmth. They spent much more time together then normal couples would and Tyler made her time worth whenever he could. He took her with him to show her the world and Jenna found herself very selfish right now for not giving him enough credit on that. 

When twenty one pilots had gotten real famous there had been a moment when she had doubted if this would change their relationship in the long term. But Tyler had prooven himself again and again and again, and the pain of realising all this send her into another crying fit. What if she never saw him again to tell him? What if she was going to die? 

The sound of the door opening ripped her out of her thoughts. Giving a miserable view, with her face covered in tears, her makeup only linger in traces she looked up at the stranger, who had covered his face again. Over years living with a depressed person Jenna had learned how to sense moods, and for now she could feel that the guy was nervous more then he was offended, something she filed as even more dangerous. People who lost their heads tangented to be jumpy in their decissions.

"Ok, this is what we're going to do: That little shit of your husband wants to talk to you or he will not obey. Looks like you got yourself a rebel, didn't you? It would be a pretty easy task to wipe that arrogance from his face if I'd just play around with you a little...but honestly, Jenna.." her eyes widened in fear as the stranger crouched down before her and fixed her gaze, "...I like you. And I don't want to hurt you more then necessary. So I'll let you two lovebirds talk. But don't get me wrong..." his hand snapped up to her neck and pulled her closer so fast her yelp was delayed, "...if you try anything stupid I could very quick dislike you, babe." 

Panic nearly got the best of her, she could feel his fingertips leaving marks on her neck, it burned her soul way more then her skin and shakily she gave a small nod. All she wanted to do is to hear Tylers voice, to tell him she was sorry, so she had to regain her composture and stay strong. With a smirk the guy let got of her and stood. "Alright, but first I'll take a nap. Tyo-boy needs some time to cool down, I guess." 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Mark had done hell of a job to convince the hotel manager that the situation was under controll. A check had helped a lot on this and the videographer hoped it had been enough to buy not only the furniture but also the hush of the guy. This was scandal material already, even without Tyler going full rockstar on his hotel room. Although, in a situation like this, the people might have understood. 

Knowing how dedicated his friend was towards Jenna Mark had wondered already why the singer hadn't gone crazy hours before. Now it was silent again behind the door. They had pondered to help Josh for a moment, when the two of them were rolling on the floor and for a second it seemed as if Tyler was going to win, but when the drummer had pinned him down Mark had ushered everyone out of the room. The younger was complicated when he was good, when Tyler was like this there were only three people left to keep him in check, one of them gone, the other at home in ohio, luckily he still had his best friend with him.

Somehow nobody wanted to go back to their own room, somehow they all gathered there, in the hallway, silently sitting and waiting, or quietly talking to each other. Mark let his gaze wander down the line of people they called their crew and realised how many of them had been friends or had became one along the way. They all were deeply effected by this. Jenna was a important part of all this, she was a light that brigthened everyones day, kind and warm and smiling she lifted everyone up. She made Tyler a better person too, their whole project benefited on that. 

Mark prayed that she was ok, but he refused to let his mind wander to the options what might have happened to her, so the ringing of his phone was a welcome distraction. His mood sunk again immideatly when he read the caller's ID, but he felt too much guilt to not take the call. "Kelly...I know you..." "Shut up Mark Eshleman and give me my son!" The force of the words let him visibly shrink, Mrs. Joseph gave a lot on behaviour and never cursed or spoke harshly if it wasn't deeply necessary, so if she did it effected the people around her even more.

"I'm sorry I can't right now, look..." "Mark. I want to talk to him. Now." Taking a deep breath the videographer leaned back and let his head hit the wall. "Kelly, would you please hear me out for a moment? I can't give you Ty because he's not in a state to talk to right now...well, not to anyone beside Josh it seems. He woke up about an hour ago and freaked out, Josh had to wrestle him down and now they are locked up in his room and I have no idea what they are doing!" There was silence on the line for a moment, then he could make out a sob. "Hey...Kelly...hey...he's going to be alright, ok? Josh is there and I'm there and we all take care of him." "Any word on Jenna?" 

He sighed, running a hand over his tired face. "Not yet. Police is on it though and our own people are constantly searching for her too." "This is so horrible..." her voice had died down to a whisper and Mark whished he could be there to hug her right now. Their familys had become real close in the past six years, with their sons living that big adventure, being away from all their loved ones for months on a row. Kelly had often called him when Tyler had been to busy to take up and Mark filled her in on the latest news. When she sended parccels to the venues they would play in she made sure always to add some of his favourite cookies, simply because she considered him part of her sons new found < family > and therefor part of hers. 

"I know. I can't believe it. But we need to stay positive, Kelly. We will find her. We will bring her home. Tyler will not give in before she's safe and sound and we will help him through. 

 

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Restlessly pacing up and down in front of his friend, who sat on the bed with his head in his hands Josh tried to be as compelling as possible. "I have no idea why you think this will work! I mean...what are you planning to do? Walk into the nearest bank and tell them < Yo, man, I need a million of my account? >. The most part of our money isn't even at our personal accounts and if you got that much on it they won't give it to you that easy."

Tyler stubornly shook his head on that. "I'll find a way...there must be a way." "Yeah there is." Josh sighed and croached before the younger, taking the slightly shaking hands in his. "We need to talk to the cops, Ty. They are used to something like this, they will know what to do and they can probably get the money somewhere." "He said no police." "Fuck what he said. How will he know?" For a moment the singer seemed to really consider the opportunity, but then he declined again. "No. I'll find a way on my own." 

Josh let his head fall on his chest and stood up again. "Then we need at least more help...let's tell anyone else!" "No." "Tyler, seriously..." helpless the drummer threw his hands in the air, "...I can't cope with this my own! I can't think of a plan, care for you and keep myself in check at the same time! If you need no further help, fine, but I need someone to help ME so could you please name at least one person I can talk to about this?" 

Before he could get an answer they were disrupted by the bright sound of the singers' phone. Simultanly they reached for it, Josh was a split of a second faster and held it high up, away from his friend. "If that's him promise me you will let me listen!" "Fuck, Josh, give me the phone!" "Promise!" "I freaking promise, give me!" Desperatly Tyler snatched his phone and took the call, not without hidding the speaker button.

There were the well known silence first and Tyler wanted to start to curse as the calling of his name overcame him by the recognition of the voice which sounded it. "Ty?...Tyler...can you hear me?" "Jen? Babe? O my god, Jenna, where are you I..." Falling to his knees the singer let himself crash against the stable body that appeared behind him immediatly. Josh slung his arms around his waist and held on thight, clearly frightened at the way Jenna sounded himself but willing to help him through.

"T...Tyler...I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry I yelled at you...I love..." she broke then and her sobs were reflected by the one that shook his body now. Then she was gone, replaced by a rougher, more unpleasant voice. "That's enough! You've heard her, she's alive. Get the money and wait for my call." "NO! Wait..." Tyler tried to stop the stranger from hanging up but he did without hesitating a beat. The last bit of his strength faded then and Tyler couldn't do more then break down. Jennas words rang in his ear, she had appologised for something that was his fault, for an argument that seemed to be so senseless, so dumb for him right now, when she was in greatest danger and clearly shaken by fear.

Uncontrollingly sobbing he fell, just fell, no strain left in his body and was cradled by strong arms, a steady voice that told him to breath again and again, but this time his attack did not subside so easy. Distant he heard Josh curse, calling out for Mark, heard their friend enter the room, them having a conversation. Tyler drifted but fought to held on to his conciousness with everything he got, vaguagly recognising paramedics gather around him after some time, Josh still clenching onto his body, not letting him go. 

He were raised to the bed at some point, felt needles penetrate his arms, his mind screaming while his body still was thrown around by a spasm in follow of the lack of air in his lungs. Josh had gripped his hand, he never lost connection, not a single second through the whole thing. His face wet from his tears, openly crying now the drummer had no idea how to get on from there as he watched his friends eyes roll into the back of his head, his body suddenly slumping down motionless, as the paramedic injected something strong in his veins. 

Letting out a sharp breath the medics leaned back while Josh crawled on the bed to just pull Tyler in again, hold him close, not let him loose contact to this world. He breathed even now, knocked out into a false sleep. The drummer heared Mark talking to the people around, bringing them outside, executing all the tasks that need to be done before he came back and took place on the end of the bed, eyes still widened in shock, his face grown old and gray in hours. 

"What's going on Joshua? What the hell is this all?" he asked helpless, seeing no point in holding back his tears when the drummer was lying there, still crying his eyes out. "My god, Mark...this is...this is the worst thing I could ever imagine! Ty is my best friend and he trusts me with something that is...too big for me alone to carry...I need your help man...I need you to be loyal..." "Josh you're starting to scare me! I'm your friend, why shouldn't I be loyal?" Insecure the videographer crossed his arms before his chest.

"Mark...promise me you won't tell anyone else unless Tyler gives his permission, alright?" Now Mark was really alarmed, straightened his posture. "Fuck, dude, what have you gotten yourself into? Spill already!" Josh glared into his eyes as if to find a hint that he could trust him, then sighed and whiped his eyes with his arm. "Jenna has been kidnapped. The guy has contacted Ty. We need a million dollar until tomorrow. No police. No further instruction yet."


	4. Chapter 4

Dancing on a thin line between sleep and being painfully aware of her situation Jenna startled. For hours she had been alone now, had heard the man talk to the girl in the other room, but they kept it low enough so she could not understand. After he had let her talk to her husband he had threatened her again, told her she would die if Tyler wouldn't give in, so she had no cause to wish for his precence but the only one that nature forced on her. 

Jenna had ignored the urge to pee as long as she could, but as there were no improvment of her situation in sight she capitulated and made herself known by calling out a hesitant: "Hey!" She had to repeat five times before she got a reaction, although it was not the one she had expected. The door opened only slightly and nobody entered the room. Unsure about what this should mean, but desperate enough already Jenna took her chance. "Hey, I need to go to the toilet...like...instantly." 

There was no answer and she felt tears well up her eyes again. Why couldn't he just let her go? Why did he have to make her beg for something like that? "I just need to go, ok?" she tried again, braced herself for the sight of her faceless captor but was surprised with the nervous smile of a maybe five year old girl with brown locks and cute freckles. "Hey..." Jenna straightened immidiatly and tried to get a view of the other room. Obviously the guy was gone and they were alone. "Hey honey, oh, it's so nice to see you! You will help me, will you? Do you know where your daddy keeps the key? Please...just...help me!" 

Standing her pleading gaze the girl just shook her head, but didn't stop smiling. She went to the cupboard under the sink and took an bucket out of it. Then she put it in the middle of the room, close enough so Jenna would be able to grab it with her feet, but far enough she would be not touched herself. She was clearly instructed how to deal with this. "No...please...I can't do this! You...please..." the blond babbled, totally confused by the whole scene. She just couldn't believe how uneffected that girl seemed to be of the fact her father had kidnapped a woman and kept her handcuffed in a bathroom. 

Jenna tried to gather her thoughts and started again. "Hey...what's your name? Mine is Jenna." The girl smiled at her, she seemed to be torn between he urge to answer and the presumably given to her rule not to talk to the woman. "I know who you are." she pressed out finally, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Are you mad at me?" the girl suddenly asked. Tired and sweaty and hurting Jenna was far to defeated to try to use this opportunity to escape, so she answered honestly. "Yeah I am. A littlbit. As I suppose you knew what he was going to do to me." 

The girl nodded, still relocating herself all the time. "Yes I knew. But it is ok. He won't hurt you. I promise." With a weak smile Jenna tried not to let her fear show through. "He said he would if my husband don't does as he says." "But he won't! Daddy would never hurt anybody!" Although she didn't wanted to let go on the subject Jenna was reminded why she called out for someone in first place. 

"Well, however...If I have to use that thing with my hands tied I need your help." Weakly she gestured to the bucket and the girls eyes followed her. She did not come closer though. "Will you hurt me?" she asked instead and Jenna tried to keep her impatience in check. "No, why should I? It doesn't give me any benefit!" Visibly batteling with herself the girl finally came closer, picked the bucket up and set it beside Jenna. Helping the woman to stand she undid her pants and shyly turned around to give the older personal space.

Jenna felt embarrased, but figured this was not the time to think about shame. This was about surviving, and who knew when she would be able to talk to the girl alone again. "You still didn't tell me your name." "Daddy says you don't need to know it." "That's a little unfair. He knows my name. He knows the one of the man I love. I know nothing about the both of you." The girl giggled and Jenna freezed at her answer. "Everybody knows Tylers name." Finishing her task in silence the older stood up and cleared her throat. "If you wouldn't mind to help me with my pants again..." 

Silently the girl started to work and Jenna glanced down on her. "What do you know about Ty?" she asked when they happened to have eye contact. "Everything." she said, and her smile faded, "And I hate him with all of my heart."

 

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The moment he opened his eyes he wanted to die. It was no stranger feeling to Tyler, yet it was way different this time. It tastet of forest earth and wet grass and a hint of citrus, for whatever reason. The worst part was that he returned into an unfunctional body, he couldn't move or speak at first, he had to just lay there, letting the realisation dawning in his mind without the ability to find an outlet for his pain. 

Yet he could hear and recognised two voices in the room, hushed, familiar. Closing his eyes again he tried to center himself in his body and then pushed as hard as he could, sat up with a groan, his hands stabeling his too heavy head. Instantly there were someone beside him, propping him up, leaning him against the headboard so his upper body was supported. He was talked to, but Tyler didn't got the message, he was too busy to define the strange feeling in his veins, the dizziness that still had a hold on him. 

A cup met his chapted lips and he drank, more out of instinct then aware of, but after it he felt better. Slowly his vision cleared and sense of hearing went back to normal ranges. "...alright? Tyler?" Of course it was Josh, sitting beside him, talking soothing, slow, stable. The drummers face showed a level of worry that Tyler disliked a lot, floating in the knowledge of what had happened he would have needed something he could get hope of.

"Tyler? Dude? Hey...talk to me, please? Anything...just say something!" "How long was I out?" Relifed sighing Josh leaned back and ran a hand through his messy hair. "About 14 hours." "FUCK!" with a violent motion Tyler tried to rush up, but before his feet even could hit the ground he was pushed back and held on to the bed by his friend, who dragged one of his arms across his chest. "Ty, chill! Please, listen to me! It's ok! We took care of it!" "What did you do?" the singer yelled, but without physical fighting the other. "That's a long story, but to get you down a bit: I did not tell the police. I did tell Mark though. I'm sorry but I really needed help for this, ok?" 

Hazyly realising Mark appear inside his line of view Tyler let his head fall back and took a deep breath, a signal for Josh that he was ready to listen. "Mark is about to head out to four different banks to get the money." "That won't work! They'll get suspiccious when they see he already withdraw from that account." "That's why we won't use your account only. We're going to get a quarter from four different accounts each, yours, mine, Marks and the bands account." Struck by this Tyler exhaled and Josh let go of him, carefully staying close enough to controll him if he freaked out again. 

"We will have to explain that later," the drummer got on, "but for now it's the only option I see. Beside you giving in to call..." he didn't end the sentence recognising the tense in the youngers face. "Ok, so it's Mark getting the money then. And we'll wait here for that son of a...ok, don't let me get his mom involved, that asshole to call." Tyler still said nothing, he felt so numb inside he couldn't even cry although he would have liked to. In the past he had been alone for such a long time, constantly fighting himself, no one in his corner and now, in the darkest of his hours there were not only one but two real friends at his side that stood up for him when he was out of bounds. 

Mark, who still stood beside the bed, cleared his throat. "Tyler...you know you can trust me, right? I'm in this with you man, we will get her back, ok? Just...try to stay cool. Josh and I will deal with everyone else, you concentrate on yourself and that guy. But...we kind of have a condition." Josh took over again, well sensing that it would upset the singer anyway, but he would accept the request coming from him more then from Mark. "If we didn't get her back in the next two days we tell the police. Two days Tyler. Thats 48 hours. Thats more then enough. I still think we should call the cops right away but I respect your wish, as long as you respect mine. Jenna is important to me too, to all of us. So you might have gotten the first saying in how to react to this, but if it doesn't work I'm in command, alright?" 

Tyler still avoided his gaze but after some seconds of silence he nodded. "Thank you." was all he managed to exclaim and both of his friends leaned back visibly eased. "Alright, I'll get ready now...you guys need to sign the consent forms and I'll be on my way." With that Mark left giving the singer a last encouraging smile. Tylers hand felt clumpsy and his fingers stiff as he signed the papers. Still he couldn't get up, felt dizzy and sick. Josh told him that it was probably a side effect of the drugs he had been given. 

"You need to eat something. And drink. And then we need to talk." "I'm not hungry." "I don't care. I've had the guys heading for fast food and you WILL eat or I'll make you." The younger had always been the more stubborn one of them, but when it was necessary Josh absolutly had the power of endurance on his side. The small sarcastic smile on Tylers lips gave his friends heart a double beat then. "And again thank you. For threatening me and taking care of me and helping me with this." 

As if appointed there was a knock then and Josh went to gather the food and drinks, sprawled it all out on the table by the couch and helped the singer, who was a little unstable on his feet, to get there. Tyler really wasn't hungry, more the opposite, but he understood the point. He had to eat to hold his systems up, his body was already on the edge and he had to stay focused. So he bit relucantly into a taco and forced himself to gulp the food down.

"That's my boy!" Josh winked at him and snatched some food himself, he was atually very hungry after the whole action. "You wanted to talk about something." "Want is the wrong word, we need. Jason from the management called. They've put all shows on hold, which of course causes a lot of response on social media. The kids are going wild...we need to make an official statement, Ty." "No." Snorting Josh shook his head. "You're really starting to annoy me, bro." "Tell them what you want but don't tell them a single word about Jenna." "I'm afraid public will learn about it anyway sooner or later. We don't have to talk about her being kidnapped, but that she's gone is pretty obvious. Mark said there were already one or two journalists trying to ask people of the crew whats going on." 

Setting the plate down and leaning into the cusions Tyler let is head fall back and stared at the ceiling. "What if he doesn't want that? Josh...if he hurts her because I make a fault I'll be never able to forgive myself." It was a liberation for all the overboarding emotions in his soul as the tears began to flow again. Josh nearly broke on the sight too, but kept himself in check, his friend needed someone to lean on right now and not another person breaking down beside him. Yet, it was hard for the drummer to see the younger like this. They had been through a lot more together then the people on the outside knew. 

Everyone who got to know Tyler or listened to his vocals recognised that the singer had a lot of dark thoughts and they all pretended him to be kind of slightly suicidal. The truth was Josh couldn't even count the incidents, in which he found Tyler hanging, or putting a gun to his head, or overdosing with tons of pills. The truth was they didn't spent so much time together just because of friendship. Josh was Tylers lifeline. Over years he had safed him again and again and again, never backed up, never gave up on him. 

And slowly, but constantly it had gotten better, with the recognition their band got, the way Josh told him constantly how value, how important he was to so many, with the response the clique gave them. Jenna had been the final impulse that started the healing. When she came into Tylers life she sourrounded all the dark parts with her beauty, her smile and her kindness and Josh gladly had started to let go, lean back and watch his friend getting already happy. 

What he hadn't realised until then was, how much he had lacked happyness himself then. In a way their friendship had saved him too, from failing miserably in life, from ending up as that odd guy who never had a real job and still banged his drums in his parents basement when others yet grew up. But lately he thought more and more about the future, about what it was going to be when Tyler and Jenna would get kids, and they definitly would. 

What it would feel like, when they would dissolve the band, because sooner or later they would. The way they lived right now was unbelievable, fun and everything they had ever longed for. Now that they had it, they had learned to think otherwise. Still they both enjoyed the fame, the glamour, the fun behind it all, but their late night talks had changed a lot. They were not longer about breaking the ceiling even more, they were about getting old with someone and raising kids and finding true happiness in the small things of life. 

This was why Josh felt how hard Tyler was crashing beside him right now. Loosing Jenna would mean loose all of that, all the joy, all the future he had, and for someone like him that was even more frigthning then to any other < normal > person. "Hey..." slipping his hand behind the singers neck, tugging lightly Josh whispered, "come here." and without hesitation the younger followed, burrying his face in his friends neck, cling on to him to not drift away into his mind. 

The drummer knew words had no meaning right now, Tyler wouldn't get the most of them anyway, he was so emotionally mixed up that he was trapped in his head and all he could do was hold him, observe him, make sure he didn't do anything stupid. So he leaned back a littlebit and found a more comfortably position, the body of his friend pressed close to his, and pulled out his phone to get to their bands facebook account. 

Thinkin for some minutes he started to tab a posting, deletet the words, formed them again, deleted this too. It was hard to do this on his own but it needed to be done and he decided not to read the reactions that would come up by the fans. Sighing he started another try. 

< Dear frens,

We're so sorry to tell you that we have to put all of our upcoming shows on hold due to very personal problems that occured unexpactingly. We're aware how this must make you feel and guarantee you we will find a way to do either new dates so you can use your tickets or give you your money back. 

To answer some urgent questions that came up by people:

No, we didn't part. Tyler and I are still best friends, we're still twenty one pilots together, this has nothing to do with the band  
No, none of us is deadly ill or addicted to any sort of drug or alcohol  
Noone died

I hope you understand that we can't give you more information right now as we, in all honesty, don't know how to deal with that ourselfs, so I ask you to hang on and be there for each other, support each other like you always do. We're so proud of you for becoming kind of a family to each other! Keep that up, it helps us to sleep at night! 

Further I hope that everyone respects our privacy. This requires us going dark for some time. We will be back, that's what I promise you, but we can't tell you when. Stay street. Stay alive. Don't forget about us. 

Josh >

 

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Another crumbled paperball hit the floor directly beside the bin and Detective Langley cursed. "You should give up on it, Jason." his partner threw at him from her table, where she sighted all surveys again. "Maybe I should ask Joseph for some advice." spinning his chair around, throwing his feet at his desk Jason fixed Karen Sanders, long-time partner and good friend but never more. 

"Did you know that kid had the chance to get a full basketball schoolarship and declined?" "I highly doubt he'd be up for playing basketball with you right now." Shrugging the younger checked his watch. "Why not, would get him distracted. He seemed pretty off when we talked to him." "You mean more off then any husband missing his wife?" "Suspicious off. Kinda." Taking off her glases Karen snatched her cigarettes from the edge of the table and lightened one, to the very annoyance of her partner. 

"When will you stop that shit?" She ignored his attack and shuffled through her papers until she found what she was searching for. "He was also homeschooled for a long time...guess it was because of his illness." Jasons head hot up then, interested in a sudden. "What does he have?" Handing him a paper his partner sighed. "Personality disorder. No real classification, though. His psychiatrist said he was an < interesting case to study > when he were nine. They set him on medications when he started to go to school and he has been on it ever since." 

Whisteling checking the report of the psychiatrist Jason tried to get the clue out of the informations. "That's heavy stuff. Make sense that he acts kinda weired when he's under great pressure." "Exactly." Killing her cigarette and pulling another paper out of her chaos Karen cleared her throat. "And would you look at that...someone was bored and asked the hotel personal if they had seen anything. A roommate told them she heard Mrs. Joseph screaming at her husband the evening before Jenna went missing." "Ouch..." Pulling up one eyebrow Jason gave her another glance. "Mhm." 

Stretching his arms behind his back, groaning at his bones cracking the young Detective stood then and snatched his keys from his desk. "So you are going to talk to him?" "Nope." "My pleasure then. And what is mylady actually planning to do?" "Screw with his drummer." she gave with a wink, laughing at his shocked impression. "What? I'll confuse him a bit to learn more about the suspects relationships. Get your mind out of the gutter!"


	5. Chapter 5

After having a propper shower Josh should have felt new born, at least that had been the expectation. Sadly the water couldn't wash away the fear he held inside. For like an hour he had stood under the hot spray, his forehead leaning on the cold tiles, thinking and thinking and not getting to a solution. At least the pills the paramedics had left for Tyler seemed to work, he was out again and Mark had volunteered to observe him and his phone after he had came back from his < undercover mission >. 

Josh decided to let himself become desperate for a moment. With nobody around he had to be brave for he let his face fall in his hands and started to sob. This was so horrible, he couldn't remember ever feeling so helpless before, so manipulated, to terrorized. He hoped with all his heart the kidnapper would keep his promise and not hurt Jenna, he prayed that she was alright. Only the thought of her getting violated, maybe even raped nearly made him go insane and that was just a fraction of the feelings Tyler must had right then. 

He felt so alone, there was no one to talk to, no one who could give advice when the only person he always went for direction was out of his mind himself. With his breathing becoming heavier the walls started to crawl closer and the edges of his vision dimmed. Snatching his keycard from the desk Josh flet then, he knew he had to escape his room and go somewhere outside before his panic attack would jump him full force.

Taking the stairs and not minding to answer the concierge that called after him he practically ran to the backdoor of the hotel he had spottet on chance and left the building. Josh knew he couldn't go to far, nor he could stay outside for long until he was spotted, so he pushed the head of his hoddie up, burried his hands into the pockets and kept his head low, hoping there would be no fans lingering around. 

Passing by a kiosk he paused, feeling for his wallet. He was not really thinking at that point, it was more his subconsiusnes picking up on an old habbit, one that had used to calm his nerves. With a minimum exchange of human contact he bought a packet of cigarettes and headed back for the little bench right beside the door he had just came through. 

With a sigh he ripped the packet open, took one of the cigarettes out and twisted it upside down before he put it back again and took another one that he placed between his lips. It wa a silly ritual, but it used to give him at least the feeling of having luck. The moment he realised he had no lighter fire appeared out of nowhere beside him and startled he raised his head.

Detective Sanders, the woman who had introduced herself as leading investigator the day before, stood directly before him with a lighter in her hand. Encouraging she nodded at him and Josh blinked, forgot for a moment that he was supposed to light the cigarette. When he remembered he did quickly and drew back, trying not to cough on the hot smoke filling his lungs. "Can I get one?" Sanders asked, her head tilted to the sight. For a women her age she was beautiful, Josh decided, mentally headslapping him for a) seeing her as old when she had maybe ten years on him and b) finding her hot, which seemed more then unappropriate given the situation. 

He raised the package to offer her one, but then thought of a better and handed it to her whole. "You know what?`You can keep it. I shouldn't start with that shit again anyway." Nonethless his previous decission he took another drag and winced on the burning feeling in his throat. The detective lightened one herself and sat down beside him, crossing her legs and pushing her brown hair behind her ear. It was not seductive or flirtingly...still he had the feeling she tried to push his limits right away. "So...got anything new on Jenna?" he broke the silence, flipping the ash to the ground and inhaling again. "How is your friend doing?" she asked back, not paying the slightest attention to the burning stick in her own hand. 

Josh was way to tired and worn out then to play games so he relaxed back further and smirked. "Why do I get the feeling you already know?" "I don't. But I will later, when my partner is ready talking to him." The tone she told him that in made him more uneasy then the knowledge that the other cop was interrogating Tyler, probably all on his own, right now. "He's devastated. We all are. We're like a family here." "And what's the big family-secret then?" Irritated the drummer shook his head. "Pardon me?" 

Smiling Karen threw her not smoked cigarette to the floor and killed it with her shoe. They starred at the tiny stream of smoke that raised over the leftovers. "Every family has this secret, this one, dark, nasty little secret no one wants to talk about. What is yours?" Snorting surprised the drummer crossed his arms before his chest, throwing his cigarette down as well but letting it burn unobserved. "I've got no idea what you are talking about." 

"Of course." she gave back politly, never loosing her bright, warm, friendly smile and weighed the packet of cigarettes in her hand before she handed it back to him. "Here...I got the feeling you will need this more then me." "Why?" "Because dealing with Tyler Joseph in normal circumstances must be a tough thing. But let me guess...being around him right now must be killing once mind..."

 

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"...and you can't remember your wife yelling < get the fuck off of me > ?" Tyler took a deep breath and tried to concentrate wich was very hard to do given the fact he had just been ripped out of a deep dreamless sleep and his mind refused to take notice of that. "I...I don't remember what she said exactly...look...we fought, ok, I never lied on that, and maybe we did say things that were not very kind, but why does this matter now? Jenna is gone, she's anywhere out there and instead of finding her you are her to ask me dumb questions." 

Langley folded his hands over his knee and leaned foreward, faking interest. "And you want us to find her, correct?" "Of course! Why the fuck should I not?" His nervs running thin Tyler didn'T mean to get so heated, but who could have blamed him then? "Well, that's...good, actually. Are you sure you can't help us to find her in any way?" Starring at the singer intensly Jason searched for signs like he was trained for. "What kind of question is that? Are you silly or what? Why don't you just move your lazy ass and go fricking find her!" 

"Mr. Joseph I suggest you calm down." Glarring at the detective Tyler stood then, starting to pace up and down in his room. "The fuck I'm going to calm down! My wife is missing!" "I'm aware of that. But I'm also aware of the fact you had an argument with her the evening before she went missing, loud enough to be heard by a roommaid and a guest next door. Both told us autonoumus from each other that they heared your wife Jenna tell you to get off of her. Jenna left the hotel the following day at eight o'clock in the morning and was last seen at ten, when the surveillance camera of the shop spotted her talking to that little girl. After that we have not a single trace of her. I hope you understand where I'm coming from when I'm asking: Where were you at that time?" 

Shocked Tyler froze in the middle of his path as it dawned on him why the cop was really here. This were not about finding further clues, not in the direction they had made him believe. "Is this an official interrogation?" the singer hissed between pressed lips. Giving him a whinning smile Langley leaned back. "Do you want to talk to your laywer?" "Do I have to?" "I don't know, you tell me." The detectives smile fell when his suspect didn't react like he had expected. Jason had wanted that kid in the corner, where he couldn't get out anymore, but it turned out Joseph might have been crazy, but he was not dumb. 

"No. I don't need a laywer. And you know why? Because I haven't freaking done anything you try to suggest. I was in the venue at that time." "Has anybody seen you there?" Smirking arrogant Tyler thanked god for once that he was a rockstar. "Beside the 20 stage people, 13 soundguys, venue securities, catering service and press you mean?" Bitterly Langley accepted his defeat. "Alright, then." he sighed and got up. "What? You want to leave so early? I could play you the audio-track of the soundcheck if you want? Or do you preferre the video we made for youtube? We even got the exact time on it, you know?" 

The older had enough then and twisted around, snapping back this time. "I got it, alright? You were not anywhere near her. But I tell you something, Joseph...if you have to do anything with her dissapearing I'll find out....and then you can shove all your fame up your ass."

 

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"Get up!" Jenna shot out of the little sleep she had got when harsh words were bellowed at her. There hadn't been all too much encounter between her and the kidnapper after the day before, he just silently had let set her free for two times to use the toilet but chained her up right after it again. The blonde had been starving but didn't wanted to beg, so she said nothing as well.

Still Jenna twisted the girls words in her head. She had refused to tell her more then her name, Savannah, and the fact that she disprized Tyler. Jenna didn't get how this was possible. Of course, her husband had his haters, but she had never heard anybody talking this way of him, let alone a kid. What scared her most that Savannah seemed to know him on any level, the girl had been cautious to talk not too much. After the man had came back Savannah had told him of their conversation, Jenna could hear it through the door, hear that he was not too pleased but didn't yell at the girl as she had expected.

In fact his voice was calm and friendly whenever he talked to the girl. It was something that gave her confidence...at least he seemed not to be a total monster. Actually he was standing beside her, that damn skimask again on his head, grabbing her arm and yanking her up. Jenna wincend on the pain in her back and he let go of her and retreated a bit, as if he was shocked that he had hurted her. The moment lastet only for seconds, then he straightened again, clearly trying to be as intimidating as possible. 

"I don't want you to talk to Savannah. Am I clear?" Rubbing her numb wrists Jenna just nodded, looked to the ground. She was tired, hungry and felt gross all over, to her very own dismay she lost her pride and pushed herself to ask for some comfort. "Could I...take shower? And...get some food...maybe?" Silently her keptor pointed at the corner beside the door, where a small camping table and seat had appeared. A bag sat on it and Jenna tried not to break out in tears. Taco bell, out of all take outs. 

"Sit. Eat. Don't do anything stupid." was all he gave her, leaning himself against the wall, crossing his arms before his chest. Nervous Jenna eyed on the gun he had stucked behind his belt when she made her way over to the desk. It was strange to eat while being stared at, but she hadn't the courage to mention it then, so she played along, tried to zone out. Closing her eyes she imagined to sit in a restaurant, somewhere over the country, with Tyler by her side, Josh and all their other friends around. They joked and laughed and her husband leaned back and put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple and she felt so happy, so warm, so...

Jenna could only betray her own mind to the point the pain in her body took over again and reminded her of being in a small, dirty room with cold tiles and a stranger who watched her every move. When she had finished the tacco she leaned back and raised her eyes to look at him. He wasn't very muscular, nor tall. What made her fear him was the fact she didn't knew his face, she couldn't read his features, couldn't construe what he thought.

"So...may I take a shower now?" Nodding to the tube the stranger shrugged. "Go ahead." Jenna felt the burn in her cheeks rising and herstomach gettign sick. No. Please not. This was what she had feared so much. From the start she had expected the guy would get hassling at some point, but as he had shown no further interest in molesting her she had held on to the little hope she might not be abused.

She shook her head, trying to fight back the tears, obviously confusing him, he tilted his head. "What's the problem?" he asked, nearly cassually and Jenna started to sob then, overwhelmed by her feeelings,the lack of sleep and the situation in common. "Please..." she started to ramble, "please don't do this! Tyler will pay you everything you want, he will do everything you need him to do and I'll be the best hostage you ever had, but please just don't..." 

Full crying now she slung her arms around her body as the stranger pushed himself off the wall and came over, crouching down before her so she looked down on him. Jenna didn't knew why, but the minite she was able to see his eyes up close she lost a littlebit of her panic. They were not cold, predating, lustfull. They were kind and smooth and full of pain theirselfs. 

"I'm not going to touch you." he stated quietly, somehow giving off the impression he wanted to comfort her. "You can take your shower alone. I'll be back with towels in about ten minutes." Shivering all over Jenna tried to sniffle back her tears, watched him stand up and leave. Closing her eyes she did a prayer, a thankfull one, before she hurried to get out of her cloath, under water and back into them in good time.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

The display started to become blurred beofre his eyes, yet Tylr refused to look anywhere else. It was early evening now and they were still waiting for the call. There were no thoughts running through his head anymore, all that was left at the moment where fractures of ideas, but a constant conversation with his own mind seemed impossible right now. Josh was fast asleep beside him, the drummer had been knocked out by his tiredness at some point and Tyler hadn't bothered to call Mark and tell him. He knew his friends had agreed to take turns in watching him, but right now he was thankfull for being alone with his best friend, even if he was sleeping.

Josh had always been kind of a rock in his live, ever since they knew each other. By the time Chris dragged him along Tyler had been on the way into the darkest chapter of his life, dashed down the road to insanity with full speed. It was the first time he moved out on his parents and went kind of < rebellious > by refusing to be drugged anymore. Since he could think clearly, what was since he was about nine years old, he was forcd to take those meds, to < get him better > as they told him. 

Feeling like being a responsible grown up when he was twenty he had wanted to get rid of them, told himself he didn't need them anymore. It had been his biggest fault and took him years to recover from it. I thad been his first encounter with Blurryface. When being asked in interviews Tyler always gave the impression the manifastation of his insecuritys had only been raised when he wrote the album. Josh knew better. He had met Blurryface long before he got to know Tyler. 

There were so many stories out there how they met, the most of them made up by themselfs. The truth was too bitter to tell anybody, so they kept it a secret and over years it had grown to be the foundation of the realtionship they shared, the one nobody understood fully. After the first show of twenty one pilots he had seen Josh had walked backstage, joined his friend Chris. He had excused himself for the bathroom, got the wrong door, found himself in a storeroom, not alone though.

The other boy was sitting at a box at the back of the room, tears streaming down his face, his body shook and twisted, his eyes wide and broken, his fingers white uppon the force he clenched them around the gun he had put in his mouth. Tyler knew he was saved when their eyes met. He knew it was all going to be better now as the other just walked up at him, silently, carefully, tender freed his fingers off the cold metal, took the gun, placed it on a shelf beside them. They both felt this was going to be a lifetime thing when Josh pulled him up and right into a hug, telling him that this was not going to happen, "Not today." he said. 

And then they had talked, hours over hours, first sitting on the dirty floor, then driving down to the river in Joshs beat up car, where they fall on their backs in the wet grass and watched the stars after the drummer had drowned the gun into the cold flowing waters. 

It hadn't took them long to understand why fate had brought them together. They shared dreams as well as they shared fears, and they both fought battles in their head, were twisted in their unique kind of way. Joshs overboarding mind was not as obvious or deadly as Tylers, but it still sometimes terrorized him in a way noone then his friend understood. They had been good for each other, everyone had seen that. Josh made Tyler smirk, laugh, happy. Tyler challenged Josh to leave his shell and extrovert himself a bit. A Win-win situation, for all of them.

Still Tyler was committed to the feeling he owned his friend so much more then the other way around. Over the years Josh had done everything for him, had sacrificed so much – up to the relationship with the woman he still loved so deeply – and now he was there for him again, promised him to get through this together. Sighing the singer ripped his eyes from the phone and casted them upon the peacefull face beside him, reached out and gently let his fingertips run down his friends features. Josh stirred a little, made an snorring sound and went back to being still then, something that made him smile. Once this was over, when they were through, he had to step up on paying the drummer back for everything he had done, Tyler decided in that minute. 

Their peace turned into panic when the phone began to rang. Josh shut up, from zero to onehundret in no time, grapped his friends shoulders and pulled him in, so his back rested against his chest, catching his wrists so he could not answer the call immidiatly. "Chill, Ty, breathe, stay cool, ok?" he whispered before setting the youngers hands free, slunging his own around Tylers waist so he felt the support physically. Breathing deeply the singer took the call then. 

"Hello?" "You got the money?" This time the stranger lost no time to conversate and Tyler picked up on the pace he was given. "Yes. When, Where?" "You're too fast, you're not ready yet." "You said the money. I got it." "I said the money AND getting us out of here. You yet have to get through stage two." Siltenly cursing Tyler felt rag ebrowling up his throat, his body tensing, but when he was pulled back into Joshs warmth even more he relaxed a bit again. 

"I want to speak to Jenna." "You're not calling the shots here." "That's why I'm not commanding....I'm asking you. Please. Let me talk to her." For a moment the stranger seemed to consider it, but then declined. "No. We can't afford further delations, don't you think so? Listen, boy, you need to get me passports." "Who am I, a fucking ambassy?" A gentle squeeze on his thigh made him remember not to loose it. "I don't know how to do that." he corrected himself then, quieter this time. 

"There's an envelope at the reception for you. You got pictures and the names I want to use in there. I don't care how you do that, but I want passports, for me and my pal. You got 24 hours." The click of the line cut let Tyler breaking, with a frustrated growl he fought his way out of his friends embrace and started to punch a pillow over and over again, screaming "Fuck!" alongside it. Josh didn't stop him though, as long as the singer was not trying to trash furniture again a little venting couldn't be all to harmfull he decided.

When the singers rage subsided and he came to an halt on all fours, panting heavily, Josh crwaled up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?" "Passports. He want me to get freaking false passports! Who do he think I am? I've no idea how to do this, I'll fail, he will kill her, I..." Grabbing the younger and sitting him up so he could take his face between his hands Josh forced him to look him in the eye. "No! Ty, stop that! Don't freak out! I'm here ok? Mark's here. We'll find a way. I promise!"


	6. Chapter 6

"9:45 Joseph is ready with his part of the soundcheck and heads for his dressroom. 10:08 Jenna is last seen by the surveilance cam. 10:15 Jospeh returns to the stage, observing his drummers rehearsal. There's no way he would have made it into town and back in that time." Concluding his obersvations on the videos he had impounded Langley rubbed his eyes and tried to keep himself awake. He hated it when Sanders got like that, when she was on high spirit, had a trace, followed it like a bloodhound. 

"Still he is hiding something. And Dun is too." she gave back monoton, clicking away on her computer, not granting him the honour of being faced. With a quick glance on his watch Jason decided to wrap the day and stood up. "I don't get why you neccesarly want him to be guilty. I mean ok, he was not the nicest human being towards us, but the more I research about him the more I got to say it looks like we got the wrong guy. He seems to be pretty genuine in common." "It's always the nice and quiet ones." 

Stopping beside his partner, laying his hand on her shoulder Langley smiled. "Maybe. But maybe he is really just the worried husband we took him for in the first place." "Maybe. Or maybe he is the stone cold VIP that got rid of his accessoir because he was tired of it. Either way..." twisting her screen she looked up at him, "I'd really like to know why he needed 250 000 Dollars hard cash today. And I definitly would like to learn why Dun needed the exact same amount of money too. Not to mention their band account was loaded with...have a guess...250 000."

Impressed Jason probbed his arms on the backrest of her chair as his eyes flew over the screen. "Where the hell did you get that information?" he asked suspicious. "I got my connections. The question is: Does Tyler Joseph have connections too? Like...connections to people who wouldn't be afraid to get their hands dirty if they are payed enough?" "You think he hired someone to kill her?" Letting her head fall back and smiling up at him Karen answered. "Maybe. Or maybe his is just the loving husband you took him for. The truth will be somewhere in the middle."

 

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Exchanging nervous glances Tyler and Josh stood behind Mark, who was currently starring at a black screen with white letters and waited for something. "Ah...are you sure you know what you are doing?" the singer let slip then, after he had really held onto him self for like twenty minutes. "Yeah I know, Windows-victim! You really got no clue on Computers outside of your soundfiles so just watch and learn." 

As a new line of white appeared on the screen Mark came to live again and started to type frantically while stating: "Alright, he's here." For some minutes he exchanged stories with who he presented them as an old friend back from college, with whom he had played around on the schools computers. Harry had become a programmer and Mark knew he made some side money by doing some...not exactly legal stuff. He never had asked to closly though, but given the fact that Harry never had problems to come up with weed, extasy and all the other nice things Mark had enjoyed in the past he sensed that the hacker would probably at least know where to find help in the depths of the dark web. 

"Ask him already!" Tyler pushed then, not pleased by Mark chatting casually with the guy. "Jezz, calm down Ty, alright? We haven't talked in a while I can't go like a bull at a gate." Wanting to respond something snappy the singer felt finger closing around his wrist and a light tug, asking him to follow. He did then, because there was nothing else to do, every distraction he got was welcome. Josh let him to the couch where they sat down together, naturally falling in place alongside and matching with each other. Tylers head came to peace in the crook of his friends shoulder, the olders arm wrapped around his own, silently feeding on each others presence. 

When Mark was there Josh allowed himself to step back a bit, to be a little miserable. The first thing their mutual friend had done after learning about the call was to take command, sending them to eat, drink and < freaking shower because you both smell like a mens restroom on a three days festival >. The hot spray of water and tea for Tyler, coffee for Josh had made them tired, even more then they already were and if his fear and panic wouldn't have nibbled on the back of his mind Tyler would have enjoyed the way they were snuggled together. 

Josh and him had never shared any romantic feelings, as much as it might have looked like it to the outside, but they did enjoy being close to each other on all levels. Feeling the older breath beside him, share ensuring affections like lightly stroking his arm had always helped Tyler to not feel so alone anymore, and he supposed it was just like this the other way around. Their souls hurted in the same spot and that was why it was so soothing to be so close to each other.

Closing his eyes andd allowing himself to fall in to the comfort for some minutes Tyler was suddnely struck by a nasty thought. He could envision Jenna, alone, cold, hurt in a room, while he sat there, feeding on the warmth and tenderness of another human, inactive and weak where he should be fighting and doing anything to get her back. The singer felt such an amount of guilt then that he practically yanked back and startled his friend by bringing space between them. Josh eyed him curiousily but was sentimental enough to not ask. 

"Alright!" Mark took the tension out of the situation as he stood up and came over to them, glad to have at least partly good news. "He'll take care of it. We'll send him the photos and he'll send us the passports when they are ready. There's only a little punch of problems." Tyler goraned and let his face fall in his hands and Josh withsttand the urge to touch him. What ever was going on in the youngers head, right now he needed distance, the drummer could feel that clearly.

"Shoot!" he encouraged Mark to get on, eager to have a task, something to do that made him feeling less helpless. "Ok, first, the good old money. He says it'll cost him a few thousand and he clames at least 2 more for himself." "Frick! We can't pull that stunt with the bank again." The videographer looked down and began to gnaw on his lip. "That's...well, that problem is already taken care of." Both of his friends heads shot up and Mark smiled, a little uncomfortable. "How?" Tyler just asked dryly, the fear of revelation of their situation to another person prominent in his voice. "Sam." 

"Your girlfriend?" Josh asked in disbelieve, knowing that Mark and his girl hadn't been on all to good terms lately with him being on tour all the time. "Yeah. I didn't tell her the details though...but I asked her to help me. She'll pay the money and I'll give her back as soon as possible." "Correction: I give it back! What does she think you need it for anyway?" the singer came to more live slowly. He got the silence and the starring-to-ground with wich Mark asked him to not ask further, but this was not the time for secrets, he decided.

"Come on man, just tell." "I...told her I started to do drugs again and have an open dept threatening me." Sensing what was about to come Josh stood and walked over, lying a hand on the videographers shoulder. "What did she say?" Trying to hide the glimpse in his eyes Mark sighed. "That I'm an idiot, that she loves me, that she'll do the money-thing but she is breaking up. She says she can't be with a junkie and I've broken my promise, at least that's what she thinks. It's alright, it's not like we had a chance anyway with me being out here all the time." 

Tyler hadn't thought the pain he constantly felt inside could have been increased even more. Here he was, useless, broken, with all his friends sacrifising everything for him, and he had nothing to give in return, in contrary he was loosing what he loved most. "Mark I'm so..." he started quietly, cut off by a gesture the other took, one that silencend him and pushed off Josh in the same movement. "Don't apologise, ok? Just...I need a few minutes." With that he turned and left the room, clearly shooken up but willing to not let them witness the downbreak. 

The drummer still stood a few feet away when their gaze met again. He felt anxiety rising inside of him as he recognised a well known shadow in Tylers eyes. 

 

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For the first time Jenna watched openly how her keptor entered the room and set her food up. As he had kept his promise and had not eyed on her in the shower, she had slowly lost at least a littlebit of fear about him. That he pulled some more nice gestures had helped that a lot. He had brought her a blanket to sit on and another to wrap in as he recognised her shivering on the cold floor after she had dressed again, not waiting for him to bring the towels and soaking her cloath. He had shook his head on that, but not commented it any further. 

When she had to call him in because she had to pee he never hesitated to set her free, left and even knocked before coming back in. It was as if her outbreak on fearing him touching her had softened his demanour somehow. Right now he walked over to her and opened the handcuffs, helped her to stand and watched her as she strolled to the desk, rubbing her hurting wrists. For some moments he looked like he wanted to speak up, as far as she could tell that through the mask, but then he solved out of his rigor, and prepared to leave the room. 

In the past hours Jenna have had enough time to learn what she lacked most and it had been human contact. She was used to be on a tour bus with people around her 24/7 and the lonliness without distraction started to really bother her. So she took up all courage she could get and whispered a raw: "Stay!" before he could open the door. The man froze, not turning first, but getting in motion finally, coming back, leaning at the wall across of her as he had done the last time.

"Why?" he asked short, aware that she watched him, not tried to avoid him anymore. Jenna recognised the gun was gone and eased even more till the point of nearly braveness. "I need company. I'm alone." Even through the thin layer of wool she could see his eyebrows shooting up surprised, but he stayed cool in common. Maybe that was why he weared the mask. Maybe he was not good in hiding his emotions.

Slowly starting to unwrap the food he brought Jenna tried to sound as casual as possible as she got on. "Can I ask something?" "If you don't necessary longing for an answer." Lifting the burger to her mouth she was quick to spill before she bite, so she could cover the nervousness she felt. "Why do you hate Tyler?" Out of the corner of her eye she could see the stranger tensing up and nearly chocked in the fear of him getting raged, but he relaxed again and just pinned her with his intense brown eyes.

"He's an asshole. He doesn't care about people." Setting the food down she turned in her seat and leaned back to the wall, still giving off being cool. "That's a lie. Ty always cares about people." Grunting the kidnapper pushed himself from the wall and started to pace up and down, but kept distance to not threaten her, it seemed. "He does not! Look, I see you want to defend him, I understand that. But you have no clue, both of you! You're living in your perfect little bubble, in your rockstar world, and you think he is so sacred and important but the truth is..." he stopped and faced her, with coldness that sank into her soul, "none of you gives a shit about the people out there, about the one's that follow him into darkness, into the shereade he creates, making them think they know him, and he'll help them. Tyler is leading them all wrong, he's not reaching out to them, all he does is rhyming sweet words to turn them into money, while the people who listen to it crave for saving. And he let's them fall." 

Mesmerized by the bitterness, the desperation behind this words Jenna tilted her head, tried to understand. "That's not true as well. He reaches out to them whenever he can. He talks to them whenever he can. They have just gotten so many..." she jumped when the stranger suddenly cried out, was on her in no second, hat shoved her against the wall by the collar of her shirt. Erratic breathing she started to cry, tremble, while he pinned her and looked her straight in the eye as if searching her soul. "He has let her die! And I will never forgive him that!" 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

No call, no news, no nothing. Josh felt like being trapped in a time wrap, lived the same moment over and over. Tyler, pacing up and down his room. Tyler, laying motionless on the floor, starring at the ceiling. Tyler, freaking out and trashing something until he either talked or held him down. Tyler, falling asleep. 

The latter was his favourite shape of his friend right now, given the fact that the drummer wasn't all to sure if he was accomponiying Tyler or Blurry at the moment. The youngers kind of dissorder had always been pretty special. He was a splittet personality in a seldom kind of way. Nobody knew why, but somehow his subconciousness had decided to isolate parts of him when he was very young. From then on there were Ty...sensitiv, genuine, friendly, a boy with dreams, and on the other side Blurry, the aggressive, mean, bad part of him. 

His doctors suspected that maybe Tyler had have some kind of shizophrenic disorder and tried to surpress it by parting it from the rest of his personality. All he achieved with that was that there were literally two sides of him who couldn't be more different. When they had first met Blurry had taken over. He had not being controlled by medication anymore and defeated Tyler in no time down to the point where he constantly tried to just end it, because he was assured it was the only way to get Blurry out.

While everyone around him treated him like he was sick, fragile, unstable Josh was the first person in his live who just came up to him with acceptance. The drummer didn't see Blurry as a disorder, he took him as real as he took his friendly counterpart, even adressed him when they were talking and he had the feeling the darker one was there right now. Josh never tried to understand what Tyler was going through, he was just there, taking it for granted as if it was the most normal thing in the world. It never had cost him energy or thoughts to do so, until now.

At the moment they seemed to be mixed up and he couldn't recognise the outlines of where Tyler ended and Blurry began. The singer switched between his personalitys, something he hadn't done in years as Blurry had only lived in the back of his head for that time, and he did it at a rate that scared his friend. While he had been perfectly ok with the younger being not labeled, not clear, fuzzy somehow he feared what was coming out of him when Tyler decided to define himself. How many parts of Blurry would find a home in his daily live when he did that? 

Josh shook his head to get that thoughts out for a moment. He stood at the window, glancing down at the people passing the street, the cars, the live out there. It had seldom been so painful concious how far away from normality they where. Homesickness strucked him out of sudden, the longing to be at the place he were born, where he could be himself, where nobody asked for Josh Dun but Joshua the son, brother, neighbour. Living his dream had taken a toll on that and he realised that he hadn't even talked to his parents for weeks now. 

Taking the opportunity by chance he searched for his phone and realised it was somewhere in his room and probably off. Tyler had blocked all numbers of people who might call right now just to make sure the line was not taken when the kidnapper reached out to them. Their families must been going crazy, having heard the news that the tour was on hold but not knowing what was going on. Gladly Mark came in that moment to take over watching the singer for some time and Josh hurried to get in his room and on the phone. 

It took not even two rings before his mother picked up, panting and obviously crying. "Joshua! O my god! Finnally! Boy, what's wrong? Are you ok? Is Tyler?" Sighing the drummer rolled on his back and tried to think of excuses real quick. "Hey mum. Yes, we're ok...well not exactly...but...as far as it comes to our physical well being." "Joshua, don't scare me! What is wrong?" "I..." for a moment he considered to lie to her but then decided otherwise. This was their families, the people who had always have their back, no matter what they had done. They deserved at least to know partly what was going on. "Mum, listen, I need you to talk to Kelly and tell her what I tell you ok? Jenna is missing. She went shopping and did not return. Police and crew are searching for her, I'm with Tyler all the time. He's doing good, really good, I'm proud of him. Tell Kelly he's alright so far."

She tried to interrupt him to ask further questions but Josh got on stubbornly. "We just can't talk all to much right now, mum, we're very busy. I swear to you we'll call you as soon as we got news but for right now please don't try to contact us. I love you mum." "Joshua, no, I...." he cut the line and killed his phone in the same move, starring down at it sheepish. It had been years that he had just hung up on her, a Dejavu hit him. He was seventeen again, anxious and full of rage, drinking himself to coma like he did so often. She had called him that night, pleaded him to come home, cried and begged, and he had just hung up. 

Josh swore to remember that later and apologise for it as he realised he actually never had done that. Of course his demanour against his parents had changed big ways, especially over the last years, but they had never have < the talk > , the one where he thanked them for everything they had done for him despite of him being...twisted. The drummer realised how much he took the presence of his loved ones for granted. 

One thing that hunted Tyler the most right now was that he hadn't apologised to his wife for the arguing they had before she went missing. Now that he didn't knew if he'd see her again the guilt nearly killed him. Josh wanted to learn from his friends faults, as he had done so often. Flipping the phone back on and starting the messanger he wrote a note to his mum, that he was sorry, that he would try to be a better son from now on, that he would come home as fast as possible to be with them and talk all of the past over.  
Tired he let his head drop into his hands again, flinched when the phone chirped. Laura had answered. The only thing the message containt was a heart emocotion. 

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Waking up to a body was something he was not used to, it had been pretty long since he felt like this. Normally he floated in a stage of subconciousnes, sometimes more, somtimes less but never fully awake and in charge like right now. It had been so long since he had been out, open, and the constant restrain had just made him more bitter, sarcastic, hurt inside. 

Slowly taking charge of the body he owned, but was not his, Blurry sat up and took a look around. A hotel, of course. Tyler had come pretty far since he had locked him up, so this was one of the better ones. He nearly expected to find the singers wife or his annoyng puppy of a best friend around, but the only person in the room was Mark. That pathetic little shit. Blurry realised that he must have spoken his thoughts out loud as the viedographer turned from the TV show he was watching to give him a glare. 

"Pardon me?" Mark asked, unsure if he had heared right. He had gone through some stages with Tyler and knew about his second personality, but he couldn't read the subtle signs as Josh did, so he didn't recognise whom he was talking to right away. As the singers features split into a bright smile, a dangerous, bigheaded one, he realised though. "You've heard me. You're pathetic little shit." 

Shooting up and killing the TV Mark instantly straightened his posture. "Blurry?" he asked quietly, not taking his eyes from his opposites every movement. The singer rose slowly from the bed and stood to face him, chin held a littlebit up, his whole composture so much more present, so much more intimidating then it was when he was his primary self. "I've missed you guys, honestly! It's been some time since Ty let me out to play." "Fuck, Tyler, that's the last thing we need right now! Just focus, ok?" "He can't hear you." 

Whincing Mark gave up. He had never gotten how Josh talked to his friend so easily when he was like that, nearly as if Blurry was a real person, when he wasn't more then a manifastation of Tylers sick mind. Mark refused to think that, for him the singer was diagnosed ill and just needed the right meds and treatment, not the confirmation that his halluszinations were real. They had fought about this more then one time, before Mark had accepted that Josh just had a magical way to handle their friend when he had an episode, and mostly were able to prevent any harm, while he himself could just stood by the side and watch Tyler go crazy. 

"I go get Josh." Blurry was as fast as the videographer as he backed the other up to the wall, his arms pulled up beside the smallers head. "What? Not happy to see me? Alright, go get that litte whore...I can't wait to fuck him anyway." Starring at him with open hanging jaw and in deep shock Mark remembered how mean the other could really get. Smirking the singer leaned back and set him free, not without making him jump by giving him a loud yelled "BUH!".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly didn't know where to go with this story, but slowly I got a clue...let me know if you like it :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u so much for the nice comments. I'm not soooo good in english so I'm even more happy about u guys liking the Story so far.

Impatient Mark tapped at the reception counter. This whole thing got out of hand more and more and he really thought of telling someone else as he was not quiet sure if Josh really had everything under control. The return of Blurry was just the peak of the iceberg. The drummer was as effected by this as Tyler himself, Mark knew that somehow and the duos decission to wait three more days until they told the police made him pretty uneasy. 

At least his contact had finally sended the adress he wanted the infos too, so Mark went down to gather the envelope they all had kind of forgotten about. The bored looking reception girl came back and handed him the letter, a blank white thing without writing on it. Silently nodding her way Mark decided to take a look inside and sat down on one of the desks in the lounge. He wasn't all to pleased with the view of getting back up to their rooms again as he didn't really wanted to encounter Tyler right now, so he could as well do some backgroundwork as long as Josh where up there trying to get their friends head straight again. 

With numb finger Mark broke the thin paper, and turned the envelope, two small pics falling out. He took them and was pretty surprised...it showed a young man, maybe in his twentys if even, and a girl, not more then five years old. "What goddamn joke is that?" the videographer whispered to himself, dumbstruck looking at the two faces that gave no expression of being kidnappers.

He even pondered to get up and ask the girl if she had given him the right one, but when he raised his head he changed his plans quickly. "Fuck!" he hissed and got up to hurry to the elevator to bring a warning and hope it was heared.

 

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Josh had given himself a minute to lean against the wall and take deep breaths before he went back to Tylers room, although he did not panic like Mark had when he learned Blurry was back. It was understandable, though, too many times their friend had been bullied by Tylers bad counterpart. When he ripped the door open finally he made sure to give a cocky expression right away, but stay as calm and friendly as possible. The only way to defeat Blurry was not playing his games, the one's nobody could win. 

He stood at the window when the drummer entered the room, one arm lazyly leaned against the frame, the other hand in his pocket. Josh shivered on the wave of coldness radiating off his tensed frame, the somehow dark aura that seemed to surround him. Slowly he got closer, snatched a stool that stood on the wall and turned it, took place on it amissed. Folding his arms on the backrest the drummer braced himself for the empty eyes he was about to see. 

"It's been a while." Blurry started, his voice as rasp and colourfull as Tylers, but deeper, slower. "Not long enough." Josh heared him smile in return, but still he did not face him. "Oh, come on, Joshie, don't tell me you didn't miss me at least a bit." Sighing the drummer let his fingers start to play a rythm on the cold wood under them. "I did miss you sometimes, actually. I know how much Tyler needs you. Thing is you only come out when he doesn't need you. You're never there to help." 

"It's not like I have a choice." "Appearently you have, or you would not be here right now." Pushing himself off the glass Blurry turned then and came closer, until he stood right before the other. "Do you really think that? You're wrong, darling, Tyler forced me to front. I have no clue why he did so...so maybe you care to tell me why I'm here?" Slowly his hand crawled up Joshs face and stroked through the drummers hair, gently, seductive. With a harsh slap Josh stopped him and growled: "Don't you dare to touch me!" Blurry did his best to give a hurt expression, but he was not able to wear anything then that god damn smile. "Why so picky, Joshie-boy? You never complain when Tyler touches you." 

"He's my friend. You are not." The smile grew into a full grin. "Friend? So you're still lying to yourself, after all those years? I'm dissapointed, Joshua! I thought you would have the guts to fuck him already long ago." Concentrating on his breath the drummer payed attention to not get angry on that. Blurry loved hate, he fed on it. "I'm not gay and I'm not into Ty. If you're not here on your own will why don't you just leave?" "I can't. It's not that easy anymore. He has me under controll. Remember when we first met? It was the other way around then...but he has gotten better...and you helped him with it. Kind of tragedy that I like your sorry ass so much even if you're the one who outplayed me."

"What do you need me to do to make you leave?" The singer sat down then, crosslegged on the floor and looked up at him through eyes that were so much darker then they used to be. "A good blow would be a nice start." "Fuck you." "That's what I'm talking about." "Metaphorically, not literally." The laugh he gave was false, not real, not warm and human. It felt like copied, synthesized somehow. "I forgot how funny you are! What a pitty you're not willing to play with me...I could make you laugh so much...and moan...and scream..." 

"Scratch that, man. We're in serious shit here, I have no time for your dumb jokes!" Josh didn't bother to hide his disgust, he had not to be nice to Blurry, that had never been the point, but he accepted the other and that was enough for the singers second persona to like him much. "Well, I got that he was a little off when we exchanged...what's wrong?" "Jenna is missing." The veins on Joshs neck started to get visible on the others answer, he really had to fight his anger this time as he was tired and worn down. 

"Ah...that little bitch finally got enough of sweet Tyo, didn't she? Told him he should fuck that whore harder but our little emo though it would be inadequate to talk like this about his wife. She probably ran off with someone who can do her right." "She was kidnapped." Leaning back on his arms Blurry whistled. "Wow, a little drama going on here! Was about time we get some action." Slowly the drummer started to loose patience, so he tried to get to the point. "Can Tyler hear me?" "No." "Can you talk to him?" "Maybe." "I need you to tell him to come back. I need him here. Hiding is no resolution and he knows that." 

As if he would try to remember something Blurry started to rub his temple. "Wait...and what I got out of it? Exactly, nothing! You own me a favour first, babe." Josh really wanted to punch the others slight grin of his face then but kept hold on himself. Physical violence was no medicine against Blurry, on the contrary he enjoyed attacks, they had found that out pretty soon. "I'm not gonna do anything your sick mind comes up with, dude!" He didn't retreat as Blurry began to crawl in his direction, until he sat directly before him on his knees, glancing up at him wildly, he didn't even flinch when the other let his hands wander up his legs. "Oh come on, sweetheart, a little blow won't hurt, hm?" 

Looking down on him sadly Josh gave up then, stood and walked away, to the window the other had been on before. "Ok, so you're going to stay. Then at least try to play along. Don't harass Mark. Keep insulting me and shut up otherwise. I need a frickin plan right now." The door bursting open made them both turn, Blurry shooting up, ready to defend. Panting Mark slammed it shut behind him and leaned at it. "Cops!" he caughed, his eyes flickering between his two friends, hoping Josh had suceeded and Tyler were back to his mind. 

His longing were denied when the singer focused Josh again. "What has bitchy Tyty gotten himself into Joshie? You didn't tell me the cops were invited to the party! Oh, I like fun!" "Shit!" the drummer and Mark cursed unisono. "Ok, we need to get rid of them! There's no way he can talk to them right now!" Josh started, first calm but finally breaking on the "Come on, I'll be at my best behaviour!" Blurry gave him. 

Running red, his hands balled to fists he approached the singer and gripped his shirt in the front. "No! You're fucking shut up and let me do this or I swear I'll beat the crap out of you!" "Empty promises, you would never hurt your slut." "You are not Tyler, Blurry, I can make the difference. And believe me, I'll gladly nurse him afterwards if that means I get to kick your ass right now." "Guys..." The tension of the situation was not broken by Marks attempt to interrupt, but the knock on the door and Detective Sanders voice. "Hello?" 

 

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It took her hours to come back to a relativly normal state of mind. Every little noise, even the constant dropping of the waterpipe made her flinch and tremble in terror. The stranger had not violated her further, after his outbreak he had let go of her, yanked back and left her lying on the floor alone. He hadn't come back since and so she was not restrained, could lie down, wrap the blanket and her arms around herself and curl up, cry. 

She felt so lonely, so forgotten right now and all Jenna longed for was to ly in her husbands arms. Of course being married to Tyler Joseph was not always easy, especially when he had troubles to keep his mind in check, but for her he had fought so much, had gotten so much better. Jenna prayed he was able to save her now, there where so much she still had to tell, to share with him and she couldn't believe their story was ending, so yet, so violently. 

As the door opened the blond immidiatly shot up in a sitting position, gripped the blanket even closer and pressed up into the corner as far as she could, her eyes bewildered by the panic taking over. The stranger entered the room, took a few steps in her direction, walked her by and sat down on the edge of the bathtube, close enough to touch her, distant enough to not do it by accident. For some seconds her sobs where all that filled the room, then he started, with a soft, nearly childish voice this time. "I've been thinking. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I do know your man and I do hate him...but I don't know you, and there is no cause in hurting or frightening you further then necessary." 

Jenna was mixed up. Between anger, anxiety and desperation she could feel a kind of sympathy in her chest as he spoke that way. Probably it was just her subconciousness trying to believe that she would get out of this unharmed, but she got the feeling he ment what he said. The tears still fell from her face, she was semi-automatic, her thoughts and her reactions not matching anymore. "What was she like?" she asked, out of a sudden, with no idea why, it just seemed suitable. 

The stranger drew a deep breath and looked to the ground. Jenna could feel him batteling, questioning himself, but in the end he did answer, slow, hesitant, dreamy. "She was beautiful. Not only beautiful, she was breathtaking. When she smiled...it was like the sun coming up for me, you know?" Entangling herself a bit and searching for a more comfortable position Jenna nodded slightly to not brake his concentration. "When she sang I had to cry, every single time, and when she kissed me..." he broke off, playing with his fingers, seeming to find a memory that was to harsh to talk about. Still Jenna knew how much pain he felt then when she recognised the edge of the mask under his right eye forming a single wet point. 

Slowly, oh so slowly Jenna leaned foreward, closed the distance between them, with all her senses screaming at her to do otherwise, and layed her trembling hand down on his steady, cold one. The man looked up and their gazes met. Jenna learned that they were no strangers anymore. 

 

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For a second all three of them had went dead silent, as if they would hope the two detectives would just go away if they got no answer. Sanders didn't let herself being fooled so easy, she kept knocking until Mark winced and opened the door. Josh let go of Blurry and shot him a warning glare. It turned out Sanders and Langley were not alone but had another, uniformed cop with them. The drummers already foul mood sank. 

Without even looking at him Jason Langley walked up to Blurry and gestured the other cop to follow him. "Mr. Joseph, you're temporarly arrested and going to come with us for further interrogation at our headquarter. I'm going to mirandize you..." as the detectiv started to speak the uniformed guy had took his handcuffs and stepped behind the singer. Josh saw the devilish features on his friend the second before hell broke loose, but his "No!" came to late. 

Blurry didn't even mind to talk to Langley, he simply swung his arm back in a hook and punched the detective right in the face with full force. Blood spreading out his nose, his hands flying up to his face Jason stumbled back and nearly fell over, but Mark catched him and starred schocked up at Blurry who didn't waste any minute to turn and attack the other cop as well. Simultanly Josh and Sanders lunched foreward to grab the singer and their combined force brought them all three down, Blurry pinned under them, kicking and punching. 

"Step...back, Dun!" the female detective shouted, but Josh pushed her aside with his shoulder and grabbed both of his friends arms to bring them up behind his back, before he leaned in and made sure to talk quiet enough to be only understood by the boy underneath him. "Tyler...I know you're afraid, I know you think you can't stand this through...but I need you right now! Please, come back, I'll be there, I swear I won't let you fall but just come back before he does more harm then he has already done!" 

Josh yelped as he was yanked back violently and pushed to the ground suddenly, starring right into the barrel of a gun. He slightly turned his head to learn that Sanders had taken his place, shoved her own pistol in Blurrys neck and cursed, while Langley stood over the drummer and kept him in check, one of his hands still clasping his bloddy nose. "Get him cuffed!" Sanders bellowed at the uniformed cop, who hurried to get the singers wrists secured in the cold metal. 

There would have been no need in restraining the younger anymore, Josh learned, when he heard a voice that couldn't sound sweeter to his ears right then. "Sorry....I'm so sorry...I didn't mean..." Tyler studdered, as the female detective got off of him and yanked him up with her. "Shut up!" she hissed and pushed him to the wall, so he was facing it. "Don't move!" Then Karen turned to glare at the drummer. "What the fuck is going on here?" she growled, taking Langleys hand off his face and examined the damage. Josh was close to spill then, this couldn't even get any more worse, but without even have to see Tylers face he felt that the singer was in full panic. 

Letting Blurry take over so to prevent himself from braking had been a major fault, he realised that then, the drummer could see it in the way his friends shoulders started to shake. So Josh lied, another time, for the sake of Tyler sanity. "I think we should all just chill for a minute, alright? Ty has slept not more then a few hours in the last days, and considering that Jenna is still missing he just snapped. You've heard him, he appologised." Snorting frustrated Sanders dismissed her partner to go find someone to patch him up and stepped closer to the drummer, still lying on the floor. 

"Telephone." "Pardon?" "Give me his telephone." They stared at each other silently for some moments and Josh was about to loose the battle as an idea flooded his mind. "Why are you even here? Did you got an arrest varrant?" "I don't need one. Mr. Joseph is a suspect right now and this are exigant circumstances." Thinking feverishly of the less things he had learned by watching crime shows Josh tried to hold his stance. "So he's not arrested...he's just held for 24 hours, am I right?" Shaking her head the female detective sighed and reached out her hand, offering him to help him to get up.

When they were on the same level again she shot Tyler, who had not moved an inch, a side glance before she gestured his friend to follow her in the far corner of the room, where she started to whisper. "Listen, boy, I get that you are very loyal towards your friend over there, which is an honorable trait, but right now you are both on thin ice. I can arrest him as long as i want for civil disorder and attacking and injuring my partner. You, on the other side, are asked kindly to come over to my bureau in about two hours and explain me where all that money you needed recently went."

In highschool Josh had attendet an actors class for one year, just out of boredom and lack of interest on anything. Now Mrs. Klovers hours of teaching them to not break a character came handy. He didn't blush nor his voice trembled as he smiled warmly at her. "You'll hear from our laywer in about an half hour I guess. Tyler will be free in no time. You didn't got anything on him or me because we didn't do something, and every judge will understand that he is a little out of his mind right now. Jesus, this man is already going through enough, what's your win in threatening him?" Detective Sanders stepped back then, knowing he would not give in. "My win is that I'm going to find Jenna, no matter what it takes!" 

 

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"It's all over the internet." Mark sighed, tossing his I-pad aside and running his hands over his face groaning. "That's a fucking mess!" Not bothering to reply on that Josh snatched the pad and opened the first link that came to his eyes. The picture was a perfect shot and might have made the one who took it rich. It showed Tyler, escorted by Sanders and the uniformed officer, his hands chained behind his back, as they left the hotel. < Breaking News > told the headline < twentyonepilots mastermind Tyler Joseph suspected to be involved in mysterious dissapearing of his wife >

"Fuck." "Mark, could you just stop that?" Unnerved the drummer glared at the other, who rambled curses on strings right now. "Why? You got no problem to screw around with king-of-curses Tyler but when I'm using appropriate words to describe the mess he made you're pissed?" "We've been over that, haven't we? That had nothing to do with Ty, that was Blurry!" Mark had enough. This was too much, way too much, all of it, and he had regrets on joining this mission to insanity in the first place. 

"Josh, Tyler IS fucking Blurry! Stop to pretend it's not him doing all these things! The curses, the insults, the violence...Tyler is all of that and if he god damn would accept that fact he would maybe find a way to balance his personality to an average medium. But as long as you keep feeding his shizophrenia and help him find excuses for his shitty behaviour he will never change." The videographer was panting now, he was not used to yell so much, and neither was Josh, who stood across the bed with hanging shoulders, his eyes fixed on the tablets screen, the figure of his friend leavin the building with hanging head and a dead expression on his face. 

"We should not argue about that right now. We got bigger problems." "Yeah, like you fucking lied to the police! You gave them your fucking cellphone instead of his! Do you really think Sanders will let you get away with this?" "She'll take some time to notice." "And meanwhile what? I'm sorry, Joshua, but I think you should slowly wake up and see that the game is over. We need to tell them about that whole thing, it's the only option!" Desperatly staring at the drummer Mark deteriorated as he shook his head. "No. I promised Tyler I would not tell anybody and broke it once yet with you. I'm not going to let him down." "For christs sake Tyler is behind bars right now! How far do you plan to let him go down until you give in?" 

It hurted to say it, but Josh knew it was the only thing that felt right for now. His best friend trusted him with everthing, with his live. Who was he to scruntinize Tylers decission? The singer had not told the police about the kidnapping, had silently pleaded him with his eyes to also not do it. He counted on the drummer, trusted him. Sighing Josh raised his head and faced Mark, who couldn't believe what he heard then. "All the way down, I guess." 

 

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Jenna felt her breath speeding up as the free-line signal rang. Her eyes where held firmly on her opposites, he was sitting across her on the table, the cellphone lying in the middle between them. After their moment he had retreated, left her alone again, but came back eventually to tell her he would call Tyler now and if she wanted to listen. Jenna felt he wanted to do something nice for her, and promised not to say a single word as long as the conversation went. 

The crack in the line made her flinch and tense, but when a familiar voice sounded she reacted immideatly. Her hand shot forewards and gripped the strangers wrist, who was about to end the call as it was not Tyler answering it. "Wait...Please! Josh, is that you?" she said as fast as possible, digging her nails into his skin, finding his eyes again. He stared at her angry, but not all to mad, so she mouthed a silent < sorry > and let go of his hand. "Jenna? Oh my god, is that you? Jen? Are you alright?" 

Pleading she tilted her head but he didn't allow her to answer, did it himself instead. "She's doing fine. Where is he?" They could hear the drummer exhale a shaky breath. "He's been arrested." Jenna shot foreward again and wanted to grip the phone but this time he was faster, switched frim loudspeaker to private mode and got up. "What does that mean?" Pacing up and down he frowned from time to time, when he seemed to be told something really unpleasent. "Two more days? That's not acceptable given the circumstances! Who tells me you're not fooling me right now anyway? The number you give me could be bugged." 

Trying hard to hear what Josh was saying Jenna closed her eyes, but had no chance to get it. "Ok...but, listen, boy, if you lead me wrong..." he broke the sentence, with might still have sounded like a thread through the telephone, but Jenna had already gotten that death was not for her to fear. "We'll see." with that he broke the connection and went back to her, sitting across the desk. "He really loves you, hm?" Slowly she nodded in acceptance. "Well, I've got to give him credit for that one. He went to jail, they think he has gotten rid of you or something. And he didn't tell them a single word, according to your friend. If he only would be so loyal towards the people who reach out to him." 

"I told you already he is. But how can you expect him to answer every letter, every tweet, every email, vine, facebook posting or call when there are so many? Tyler is a musician, after all, no Jesus, and he has never asserted that. It's what the people try to make out of him and it's just not fair to condemn him for that." "She was different...he should have recognised her." Still Jenna did only knew small parts of what seemed to be a sad story, and she had nothing other to do then to collect more of them right now, so she pushed softly. 

"What has she done to reach him? How should he have noticed her?" A huffed laugh found it's way from behind the barricade of the mask, she could imagine him curling his lips in bitterness. "Everything. She wrote, she traveled to his shows, ran blogs about him...many people knew her, you know?" "Will you tell me her name?" She knew he wouldn't but asked anyway, he had yet let her too close and realised that. Clearing his throat he stood up and went to the door. "Anyway...I'm going to get food...what do you want?" 

Surprised Jenna raised an eyebrow, and answered the first thing that came to her mind. "Pizza...maybe?" He confirmed it by nodding and left, either not aware that he had forgot to chain her or not doing it on purpose. Jenna was prooved of the latter when she heard him locking the door. 

 

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	8. authors note

Story is not abandoned but have to work like 20 hours at the moment...will continue due next week :)


	9. Chapter 9

Reflexive Sanders chewed on a pen as her partner joined her in the observationroom where she was standing before the big one sided window and tried to find the hints she was searching for. The detective shot her partner a glance as he stepped beside her and winced at his bandaged nose and the bruises that formed around. She gave him a worried "You ok?" and was reliefed as he just shrugged it off and took a look through the window. 

"Have you already talked to him?" "No. They indeed managed to find a laywer but he will show up in three hours minimum. I wanted him to sit and think a little...and watch him." Skeptical Jason let his eyes wander over the man in the interrogationroom, who sat calmly, hands folded, starring straight ahead, not moving an inch. 

"Boring show. He's more energetic when you try to cuff him." "Exactly...that's why I kept him on the edge till now...let's find out how he works when I get him angry..." With that she turned and left and Langley sat down sihing behind the audiocontrolls to record their conversation. Sanderl loved to play, he knew that, but the thought of her provocating the kid made him uneasy. He had seen the singers eyes the second before he hit him. They hadn't looked human, somehow. 

He didn't move as the female detective entered the room, he didn't even blink when she sat down across the desk, laying out some folders, that Langley knew was empty and just there to make the suspect uncomfortable. When she had finished arranging them she leaned foreward and folded her hands, taking the same position he had. "So...Tyler, it is, right?" She got no answer, wich didn't brake her warmly smile. 

"I think we had a pretty bad start today, so let's try to start all over again now, alright? You've been filled in on your rights and told the colluege who brought you here you don't want to talk without your laywer, which is perfectly fine for me. The thing is, Tyler...every minute you keep sitting here silent I'm not out there to search for Jenna...and nobody knows how much time we got." Karen saw the motion less as she felt it, when he rose his eyes to meet hers. 

They were full of fear she learned, not exactly what she had expected, but after reading all informations she had been able to get she knew that this might just be one side of him. "As I like to use my time to it's best, I've decided to come to talk to you despite your laywer will take some time to join us. At least I own you the explanation why you are here." She leaned back and waited a minute, but still he just starred at her with wide eyes. 

"I have to addmit, it doesn't look all to good for you right now, Tyler. First you got a fight with your wife before she dissapears, then I learn you and your friend gather a rather high amount of hard money, you injured my partner...that all doesn't really suits well to the < worried husband > look you try to give off." Again she changed her position, just to get him nervous, she could tell he hated the way she constantly shifted. "Let me ask directly: Where is Jenna?" 

His voice was surprisingly steady, but still so young, so hesitant. Karen marveled how he could pull some of the songs she heard, there literally seemed to be two voices he used, the one to speak and the one to sing. "I don't know. I've done nothing. Despite punching your partner. Which I'm sorry for." Leaning in fast and slapping both her hands on the table so he startled him Karen gave back, a little more sharp: "That's bullshit, Tyler, and we both know it! I believe that you didn't wanted to hurt her, right? It was not you doing to her whatever you did...it was him." 

Confused the singer tilted his head now, was about to ask what she ment, but Sanders didn't give him that chance. "It was Blurryface, right?" The slip in his features was not only prominent, it was overwhelming. The singers face fell for a second, it changed his look so dramatically that he nearly could have been another person before he hunched over the table again and went back to his defeated composure.

"Blurryface is no person. It's the name of my record." "He's the manifastation of your inscurities and all the parts of your personality you don't like, am I right? The one that is doubting you." "Again, it's a record. What you are talking off is a marketing strategy. I got no clue why the hell I am here." Karen sensed heat slowly brawling in him, got on, well knowing Langley would cringe on the outside. He hated it when she faced suspects like that, she had been attacked more then one time.

"Was he there that evening? Was he the one arguing with Jenna? He got mad at her, didn't he? Whatever it was...he just couldn't stop...he grabbed her...she told him to get off..." Tyler started to shake his head, his hands gripping the sides of the table. "You couldn't do anything, am I right, Tyler, you couldn't stop Blurryface. He was just so angry...oh god...she must have been so afraid....how is it, when you change? How does it feel? Do you know when you're going crazy, or are you just a time bomb, occosional exploding? What did she have to go through Tyler? What did you made her suffer?" 

He closed his eyes, breathed, faster, erratic now. Sanders didn't dare to take her eyes from him, as the tense filled the room, about to break and let him snap. "Did you use her? Did you kill her? Tyler...why are you not telling me where Jenna is?" On the other side of the glass Langley held his breath as the singer opened his eyes again. He released it in a constant flow as the kid spoke. "I've no idea what you're talking about. Blurryface is a record. I love my wife. I never touched her in any form of violence. I don't know where she is. You can keep trying to break me...but this is all you get because it is the truth." 

 

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Loosing the strucure of time had been the worst thing for her so far. As she was locked up in the windowless room Jenna couldn't tell if it was day or night, which hour, and it made her feel like she'd slowly going crazy. Since their last longer conversation her keeper had only come to her to bring he food and water, then left. There had been no exchange of words and she had respected the boundaries he seemed to set. But still Jenna was craving for human contact. She could hear him talk to Savannah from time to time, the girl seemed to be a unusuall quiet five year old, because despite of the TV or their seldom talks Jenna never recognised any other signs of the girl still being there.

At least she could walk around now, was not restrained anymore. She wondered what had made him change this, if he was sure to have her under controll or if there was some sort of trust growing between them. Eager to maybe find a way to get to him Jenna had spent hours in thinking about what she knew, but of course couldn't figure out a person or a name. They were so many...the clique had downright exploded over the last year and between all the people who just followed them because of the fame there were so many broken, sad, lost ones. 

Many of them reached out to them, for guidance, hope and help in finding a purpose. It had given Tyler a cause to stay alive in the past, but the more they got the more it started to wear him down. Sighing Jenna remembered the endless nights he was up, scrolling through tweets, emails and other messages, replying to some of them even, never with his real name, but always in a way that was enouraging, ment to be helpfull. He gave all he had, a lot of his soul to save as many of them as he could, while he kept drowning on it himself. It was then when he crawled back under the sheets with her, brought her close and she held him, listened to his worries and fears while she gently stroked his hair and kissed his skin. 

Realising she was crying again Jenna shook her head to stop daydreaming. The longer she was alone the more she drifted off into her own mind and it was a dangerous thing, she knew that. So she straightened herself and got up, started to walk up and down again, constantly thinking of how to get more information out of the stranger.

 

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Grimacing disgusted Josh lit another cigarette and blew the smoke out before it even could reach his lungs. There was no use in doing this, still it made him feel a littlebit better, like it was something he could controll. Inhale or not. Smoke or not. This was easy, this was how he liked life. The drummer had never been the one to make big decissions. That was basically what had let him up to the point he was on now. Not able to decide what to make of his future he had skipped school, banged his drums, somwhere along the way found Tyler and just followed him whereever he went.

That he was saving the singers life along in the process didn't felt as important to him as the fact that Tyler had given him a future he had never thought he would find. And now, that his best friend needed him so much Josh broke down and went back to old habbits. He hated himself for that. The anxiety wasn't even the worst, it had made him lock himself into the bathroom and sit under the cold shower because he couldn't breath, but what really got to him was his lack of inspiration, the way he was utterly unusefull. 

Mark had done so much to be a resolution, he was the real hero in this game, and now that they had argued Josh felt like it wasn't right that he was the one asked to make a decission. The world waited. After Tylers ungracefull appereance everyone demanded an answer and the management as well as the whole crew trusted him in giving it, when the drummer had no idea what they were even in to.

So recognising their tour manager Michael stepping on the balcony beside him, raising a brow on him smoking didn't exactly help Josh to get calmer. "Didn't knew you started again." he finally stated, after realising that the drummer was not about to speak up himself. "Don't get all to used to it. I'm stopping." was the reply, words that had as much substance as the smoke they were accomponied with. Sighing the manager leaned against the railing and let his eyes cast over his friends face, who clearly avoided to face him.

"Joshua...You know I trust the both of you with all my heart...but I need to ask you something." Looking at his feet that tapped constantly in nervous manner the drummer still refused to turn. "Is it about the money?" "I'm afraid it is. You know I'm not the one who gives a lot in that, but I've been asked what we needed so much money for by my boss...Josh, you guys just can't take something from the bands account without telling me why, that was why we splitted the whole income from the beginning. I don't wanna pry into your personal lifes, but with all that shit going on right now you have to understand that I'm asking." 

Michael closed his eyes on the reply, he had hoped to interfuse the drummers armor, but had failed. "I just can't give you an answer right now, Mike. I promise I will...but not now." "So you won't answer me another question as well." "You can try." "Did he do it?" Silence fell between them, a thick, heavy one that cut through the bond they had shared before. Slowly, very slowly Josh let fall the cigarette on the floor and stepped on it, before he crossed his arms before his chest and answered in a low, dangerous tone. "Are you really gonna ask that question? Do you really dare to think Tyler could ever do anything bad against her?" 

The tour manager sensed then that he had touched a sensible point and stepped instinctivly back. "Josh, see, I'm just as confused as everybody else..." but he was cut off by the drummer who followed him, glaring down at him. "SHUT UP!" he hissed sharp, getting on more quiet: "All of you, just shut up! You call yourself friends...you tell us you'd have our backs whatever comes our way...and the first opportunity you get you not only doubt us but accept that it is in the realms of possibility that Tyler has killed his wife? Who do you even think you are? You'd be nothing without us, none of you, and that is your way to thank us for everything we've done?" 

Despite the knowledge that Josh was on the edge since days and probably didn't meant what he said Michael couldn't help but snap back. They were all stressed out by the current situation and maybe it was better to face the heat as to try to ignore it. "You better start to tune it down, man! Don't get me wrong, I understand that you're under great pressure right now, but I'm not gonna let you talk down on me like that, I know you far too long for this Joshua. And I know Tyler too...both sides of him. I appreciate how well he handled all of what happened in the past and what a great person he has become but you just can't ignore the fact that we all knew that there was always the possibility of him breaking under the fame. Who tells us that this isn't the cause when even you refuse to give us an answer?" 

"It's not like that!" They both yelled now, their hands turned to fists, hanging on the sides of their bodies. "Tyler has nothing to do with Jennas dissappearing!" Helplessly throwing his arms in the air Michael snorted. "And what the hell is it then? What are you keeping from us?" He knew the discussion had come to an end when the drummer just turned, recurred to his previous spot on the railing and took a package out of his hoddie. With the click of the lighter Michael cursed and left, not recognising how lonlyness took his place and started to kill his friend slowly. 

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

"Aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnd cut! That was perfect, Debby! It's a wrap!" Falling out of her role, shaking her arms and stretching her back the young actress smiled at the filmcrew before she went off to her dressroom. It had been a long day on the set and she was eager to get home...even if there was nothing waiting for her there then silence and her cats. Debby wasn't exactly bothered by that fact...it was just something she noticed from time to time.

After her last relationship there had never been the need to refill that space with a new one...and she knew exactly what the cause for it was. The man she had loved had never really left...neither her home nor her heart, he lingered there, close to her, and she couldn't get rid of him, no matter how hard she tried. It had not been Joshs decission to end their bond, although he understood where she came from and told her she was perfectly right. Debby wished he had tried to fight for her, stalked her, threatened her...it would have been way easier to forget him then. 

But instead of it the drummer had retreated without pressure, had switched from lover to friend in no time, never blaming her or showing her the pain she surely caused. It was that what ate away on her heart when she returned into her empty apartment, where one of his jackets still hung in the hallway where he had left it when he moved out. 

Josh loved her so much that he set her free...and the longer they were appart the more she realised what she might have thrown away. Someone like him was hard to find, it was a one-in-a-million chance. Maybe that was why she found herself answering his call a little to quick for her own taste, breezing a breathless "Hello?" as she had jumped out of the bathtube and ran through her livingroom to get her phone when his personalised ringtone sounded. 

She harrumphed and tried again, more audible this time. "Hello? Joshua? Are you there?" The beat her heart gave when he heard him was a painfull one. It brought back the longing, the sadness that their fairytale gone bad had caused and that she had burried so well. "Yeah. I'm sorry for bothering you." "You're never bothering me, you know that." There was silence for some moments and Debby used them to get a towel and at least dry the half of her body so she didn't soak all of her carpet. 

A flash of dejavu hit her as she remembered the endless playfull discussions on him never drying off after showering. He always won their arguments by just pulling her close and kiss her, until there was nothing left for her to complain about. "I just didn't know who to turn to. I...I'm falling, Debs...I...Tyler..." She knew the signs, had been to some of his attacks with him, so she took over controll easily. "I'm counting, you breathe. One...two...I now about Tyler...three...I've read it...four...five...six..." for a while they got on like this until she heared his breath even, a groan releasing from his tied throat. "There you go!" she smiled, closing her eyes and pretending to hug him, hold him thight like she had used to on nights like this.

"How can anybody believe that Tyler would ever only raise his hand against Jen? I was so shocked to learn they arrested him!" "You have no idea how good it is to hear that from you...I nearly thought I'm the only one knowing him." Shuttering on the despair she heared Debby comforted herself on her couch under a blanket, the cats immideatly rushing to her side for cuddles. "So what has really happened? Where is Jenna? Can you bail him out?" "I don't know is the only answer to all of this." She pondered to let him get away with it but decided not to do so. "Liar." "How will you know?" "I know you inside out, Joshua." 

He went silent on that again and she felt his struggle, torning him inside. "Hey...you can trust me...you know that...I won't let you fall...I never have." With his sobs reaching her ear her own tears started to flow. Every time she tried to tell herself she was over it moments like this prooved her she was not, that he still held her soul. "It's just terrible, Debs. Someone took her and is blackmailing Ty. He refuses to tell the police because he's afraid that the kidnapper might kill her then and now they think he did something to her and Blurryface is back and he hit a police officer and I had to take over and..."

"Schschschschsch!" she stopped him then, afraid he would fall into another panic if she let him ramble on like that. Placing her back in the cusions, letting her head drop back she tried to reach him with her heart. "Joshua...close your eyes, ok? Can you fell me? Do you feel my arms around you? I'm there, ok? I won't leave. Take your time. I'll listen." 

 

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She didn't bother to stand up as he walked in, grabbed the chair and sat down in the middle of the room. Jenna had come to a point where she simply didn't care about fears anymore. What seemed to be more important was to understand what was going on, what had let to this. She strongly believed there was a lesson for her to learn out of it, and she was determined to search for it. 

"We need to talk about the exchange." he stated, sitting there, relaxed and calm, as if he was a visitor for tea in her very own house. "You'll really let me go?" It came hesitant, but in the end he nodded and she believed him, knew it was no lie. "If your friend is not fooling with me I'll let you go." "When?" "That's what we need to talk about." Her hopes fell immideatly with the way he avoided her eyes. "

"I can't let you go the minute I get those passports and the money...I have to make sure first that Savannah is save. We'll take a flight to leave this damn continent...and when we arrive I'll let you go." "What does she needs to be safe from?" The small smile made him sympathic and Jenna started to imagine the face behind the mask. It had to be a gentle, young one. "You're asking a lot of questions." "Can you blame me? I want to understand...and I want to help."

His head shot up then and he stared at her disbelievingly. "I've kidnapped you. I've kept you against your will. I am the cause your husband is in arrest. And you all out of all people want to help me?" It was a breaking point, an essential moment and all her senses were aware of that. Slowly Jenna rose, taking one step after the other towards him while talking. "You are not bad, at least you were not before this. You loved her with all of your heart, just like you love your daughter. Whatever ripped the two of you appart, you couldn't be there to hold her when she stumbled...so she searched for another hold on life." 

He hadn't moved as she approached him finally, stood right before him, raised her shivering hand. "But," he tensed as her fingers reached the brim of the mask, slightly brushed his neck, curled around the wool and started to lift it, but he didn't stop her, just sat there and breathed. "she had to learn that building your puprose on a single person doesn't work out...just like you will have to learn the same thing too."

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Being escorted down a hallway with barrs on both sides was not exactly new to Tyler, but this time it felt a lot more real and drastic. Not only that his hands were bound for real, he knew the guys in the cells were no actors, and the looks they gave him no scripted gestures. Sanders had not given up yet, she still tried to get to him, tried to make him change an bringing him here was just another part of it. 

She knew he were afraid, he could see it on her face, but she didn't show a single move of empathy, as they reached a cell with a particular unfriendly looking guy in it and stopped. "Cortez! We got you a new friend." Karen called the spanish looking, big man who were sitting on the bench nearly cheerful. The eyes of the criminal fell on the singer and every inch of Tylers skin wanted to peel of his body and crawl into a hide-out right there and then. 

"You can't do this." he finally broke his silence, the one that had annoyed the detective to no end and finally brought them there. "Oh, I can practically do with you what I want! You attacked an officer." "I apologized, AND I advocate I was unfit to plead then." "You know what?" Grinning she turned to him and gestured the guards to open the cell. "I don't care! All I care for is your wife and her well being and as long as you refuse to help me find her I refuse to be nice to you."

Feeling himself being pushed inside the cramped space Tyler went rigid, stumbled as they used more force. "You can't do this! Where the fuck is my laywer?" "He's on his way and I'll come pick you up when he arrieved....and has filled all the necessary files and request. Get comfortably, it will be some time...unless you want to talk to me without him right now." Pressing his lips to a thin line then Tyler just glared at her, felt the handcuffs being taken off, the guards retreating. "You won't brake me!" he told her as the door fell shut with a loud bang, but yet he could feel fear and panic crawling up his spine, starting to shake him slightly. 

"You're right, I won't...but Cortez might do a pretty good job at it!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sry for the shortness, next chap will be longer again

Feeling like everybodys fool was something Mark was used to, still he didn't like the way Michael took out his anger on him, especially not when he was in a hurry. After a heated discussion with the tour manager he headed straight up to their rooms were he had wanted to go anyway and pushed aside all pride and stubborness as he faced the drummer. 

It was a surprise for him to learn that Josh took a step back too and apologised right away for yelling at him. It didn't took them more then a few words to be on the same page again, and Mark was reliefed to learn that it was the one he had followed. "What made you change your mind?" Grimacing Josh sat down and stretched his arms on the backrest of the couch. "Debby. We had a long talk about loyality and decissions." "That girl always were a smart one. Getting close again?" "I don't think so." 

He were tired and wanted to lay down, but there was no time to do so. They had to inform the police, get Tyler free. It was the only logical resolution to this. "Before you call the cops there is something you should know." Alarmed Josh raised his head and faced the videographer who threw a folder on the desk before him. "I spent a little extra money on letting them find out who the guy on the picture is...and I got bad news." "Can't get worse, so hit me." 

Taking place beside him Mark pulled a printed sheet with the photo of the kidnapper out. "I introduce you to Logan Blair. It wasn't hard to find him, according to the fact that he is wanted for kidnapping his own daughter Savannah from her grandparents. You may ask yourself how in the world that guy found the idea to get Jenna...and you'll find a complicated story that has more to do with Tyler then you think." Taking the picture off the desk and scanning the strangers face Josh was surprised. He looked young, barely above 20 years and not like a criminal. If he could compare Logan to anyone then it was...Tyler himself. Short brown hair, gentle brown eyes, sharp features...but no sign of hardness or violence. 

"The whole thing starts about six years ago." Mark got on. "He hadn't have exactly a good life before, but when Logan was 16 he fell in love with a 13 year old girl, Samantha. Looks like he got her pregnant pretty much at their first date...and of course her parents went rogue on it. My contact says there were a restricting order pulled against him, he was not allowed to see her or the kid." Leaning back, recognising this was going to be a longer story Josh spread his arms on the backrest of the couch and tried to relax his stiff shoulders. 

"It seems he found ways to stay in contact though. He and Samantha met in secracy. About three years ago something happened...I were not possible to find out what's true, but either he snapped and raped her or her parents learned they were seeing each other and forced her to say that...whatever really happened, Logan got arrested and sentenced, went to a youth jail. His girl, Samantha, stayed with her parents and it seems like she had gotten big troubles with despression. Apearently she found you guys then...you know yourself that a lot of your fans are struggling with such things. It seems she got pretty obsessive...now that I know the whole thing I can even remember a blog she did about Tyler...it was pretty known in the clique." "Do I know it?" "I don't think so? Twentyone reasons to die – one reason to live, Tyler Joseph?" Shaking his head Josh closed his eyes for a moment. 

That part of "fandom" was really getting a problem for them. Of course they wanted people to know them, of course they were flattered and glad about the fans looking up to them...but all of this slowly started to overturn and even got dangerous sometimes. So many of their young fans, espacially the one's that struggled with serious mental illnesses or things like abuse set all their hope, all their purpose in them. It was way too much weight to carry. Neither Tyler nor him had ever wanted to become leaders or saviours...all they had wanted to do was making music and sharing it with others. Now there were people who claimed to live only because of them...and it scared both of them to no end. Tyler had found a way to ease his mind in trying to comfort as many of them as possible through fake accounts, Josh just tried to stay away as far as he could from the ones that really seemed to need help, simple because he knew he was not strong enough to provide it when he already had to fight Tylers disease and his own anxiety. 

"I guess she was not at the best terms with her parents, there are some reports that she called the cops on domestic abuse...but there was never a proof of it, so she and the kid were stuck with them. I searched her blog a bit...and it's really crazy shit, Joshua. She talked a lot about suicide and about having no purpose, no meaning in life. She did not only love Tyler, she adored him with no end. It seems one year ago she started to reach out to him permamently." Taking a deep breath Mark hoped his friend would not freak out on what was to come. "I let my contact hack Tylers email. She had found out his adress anyhow...and she wrote one email after the other. She twittered him, posted on facebook, wrote letters to your fanmail adress, she even tried to meet you guys a lot of times, it seems like she ran away from home on that occasions and tried to find out which hotels you are staying in. One time she nearly got through with it – last year, when the security told us they had to force a girl out that nearly got into our bus."

Holding up his hand to stop Marks constant string of words Josh didn't look him in the eyes, fixed the table instead. "You've hacked Ty's email?" "Yeah. I'm sorry, I just wanted to..." "Did you hack mine too?" Conscious of his guilt Mark gnawed at his lip then. "Yes. But I swear we did not read a single one, we just checked if she contacted you as well." "We will have to talk about that later. Go on now." "Tyler recognised her, I'm sure. All her mails were marked read and I found some replies on twitter he did with his fake account. He tried to reach out to her, but not in person, like he always does he used his cover up identities. It were not enough."

 

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His hands were warmer then she would have thought they would be, still Jenna rubbed her thumbs along it to soothe him while he spoke. Now that they knew each others face it seemed easier for him to trust her, and for her to break through. It was the last act of the drama he recently told her, and Jenna whiped away his tears while he spoke. "She wanted him so much to answer! All she longed for was a single message, a single encouragement, to be recognised only for the split of a second. But it never came. Tyler ignored her completly, although he must have recognised how desperate she was...I mean...she even told him exactly how and when she would kill herself two weeks before she actually did. It was a sunday, when her parents were at church with Savannah. Samantha couldn't stand it anymore I guess...the beatings, the accusations, the restrictions...and I couldn't help her. I was trapped, I was prisoned, and the only person that might have been able to save her life just let her down."

He didn't try to hide anymore then, he cried openly, letting his head fall against her chest, accepting the warmth she provided, the carefull strokes on his back, the way she kissed his hair softly like a mother would do with a crying child. "He killed her, Jenna, Tyler killed her! He let her die, he just choosed to not recognise her, he was cold enough to open her mails and not reply to it! She got the reading confirmation." Pulling his violent shaking form closer Jenna tried to ignore the upbraiding he did, it was not smart to defend her husband right now. It was better to listen. "I want him dead, I want him to die so bad...but I'm not courageous enough to do it. So, when I came out of prison...the first thing I did was getting Savannah. And then I decided that at least I want him to pay for what he did, to help me provide my daughter a better life then the one she had until then." 

 

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"The letter said she couldn't go on any longer if the only person that could save her hates her too much to talk to her. She hung herself on a sunday, it was her daughter that found her when she came back from church with her grandparents. They tried to reanimate her, but she was dead for too long. When Logan learned he must have been outragious. He got out of prison about two months after it and the first thing he did was...well kidnapping or freeing his daughter, depends on who's side you are on. And I'm afraid he plans to let Tyler pay...in more then the financial way." 

Josh gave himself time to let all of this sink in. A half hour more or less didn't count anymore, he knew that, so he didn't reply instantly, just sat there motionless and starred straight ahead, tried to array all of the informations, to realise they were real. "Ok." he said then, nearly making Mark, who had waited eagerly for a reply, jump. "Ok." And with that he stood, gathered the folder and headed for the lobby, wanted to leave to the police station to give them all he knew and hopefully end this. He froze in shock as he opened the door and starred directly in Blurrys dark eyes.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Two hours earlier

"You're right, I won't...but Cortez might do a pretty good job at it!" Sanders paid attention to sound as bitchy as possible as she gestured the guards to close the cell door and turned on her heals. Tyler Joseph was not the first suspect she handled like that and she knew she would suceed. What surprised her was how fast it went. Karen hadn't even rounded the corner as she heard him call. "Wait!" he sended after her, and feeling a shiver running down her spine the detective learned that his voice had changed somehow even if it was only that single word. 

Slowly strolling back, leaning herself on the wall across the bars where he stood she observed him intently. This was not the man she had interrogated anymore. This was another person. It was in the way he stood, the way he looked at her. It was in the way Cortez sat on his bunk, both of his hands in his lap, looking afraid because he sensed the danger radiating off his new cellmate. "Hello Blurryface." Sanders greeted him then, found him smirk on that. "You went big ways to meet me...Tyler wouldn't have let me out if you wouldn't have scared the shit out of that kid." 

"Is he here too?" "No. I can make him listen if you want to though, but somehow I think it is better if the two of us talk in private." "You know that I will not let you out of this cell until he is back, don't you." Again there was a smirk, an arrogant, cold one. "You're afraid of me, and I don't blame you. But you don't have to fear anything...not for now. I'm actually here to help." It was fascinating how a person could change so completly in the matter of seconds. Sanders didn't reply, she waited, recognising every little movement that had changed it's ways when Tyler became his second persona. Blurry twitched a lot more, although his whole posture was more intimidating. He drilled his gaze into her, never backed up where Tyler had avoided her eyes. He was cocksure way more dangerous, way more angry then the man who's mind he held. 

"Jishwa was right, you know? I never helped Ty because I saw no use in it. He is weak, not worthy to live. If I wouldn't need him to exist I would have told him to end himself long ago. But unfortunatly I like Jenna...I like her much. That sweet little ass...Oh how I whish he would let me do her...I would fuck her sensless, not that vanilla shit he pulls off all the time." Arching her brow the female detective decided it was time to enter the conversation. "So you want to hurt her? Did you do already?" "I'm sorry to dissapoint you, babe, but neither me nor that little idiot did anything to her. But he lied to you were I won't because he thought he can do some < one – man – to – the – rescue – show >. God, I wonder if he'll ever realise the only way he could help somebody would be to suck them off, and even that would pretty much only be welcomed by that bitch of a drummer. Who else would want such a sorry piece of crap?"

"You know what? I think this doesn't lead anywhere. I'll go meet your laywer now." Again she proceeded to leave but when she passed him his hand snatched though the bars and caught her wrist in an iron grasp. "Leave now and that hispanic asshole will be dead in five minutes." Blurry growled, twisting her arm just enough to let her feel the pain. "Let go. Now." Sanders ordered, well aware that struggling would just lead to broken bones. He ignored her though, just intensified his gaze somehow, held hers. "Tyler did not tell you that his wife was kidnapped. The guy who did it is blackmailing him. He wants a million dollars and passports so he can leave the country. Tyler thought he can do this on his own, with that faggot Josh and this other motherfucker he always hangs out with. But you and I know better, babe, don't we? If he gives that guy what he wants he will kill Jenna anyway. The only way is to find him and end him before he got the chance to do the same with her."

"How do I know you're not lying too? You have no benefit out of this." "Oh I do...first of all, even if Ty doesn't let me front often, at least I got a life if he does. Getting him prisoned means getting myself locked in as well, even more then I already am inside his head. And like I said...I DO like Jenna. I don't want to loose her as much as he wants the same." "I need a proove." "I'll give you one. Let me out, come back with me to the hotel and listen to me speaking to the kidnapper. He is calling regular." "We can do that here. I got your phone." "No you don't. You let Joshua fuck you." Slowly her wrist began to hurt seriously, so Sanders let her second hand wrap around his fingers and tugged on it, showing him to let go. Still Blurry didn't do, he twisted it even more, just because seeing people in pain got him satisfied. "Who guarentees you don't try to flee or hurt anyone? The hell, you're hurting me right now and you ARE behind bars." 

Letting go, shrugging and distorting his features to what should have been a warm smile Blurry stepped back a little. "No one. You'll just have to trust me." 

 

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Caught up in there own space, beyond time, Jenna and Logan sat on the floor, thightly wrapped around each other, not speaking, not moving, only shareing the beats of their hearts. With closed eyes the blonde tried to absorb all the pain then, suck it out of his system, be the resolution he needed so bad. She could easily tell how much he had loved Samantha, that she had been his life, his purpose. And she knew how destroying it must have been to loose her...after all that was what would happen to her if she ever would have to mourne the loss of her own love. 

The knock on the door was hesitant, silent, more a warning then a question, so none of them answered it. Jenna just held out her hand as Savannah pushed it open slowly, entered the room and stopped, confused observing the two adults sharing a closeness that shouldn't be there between them after all that had happened. The girl ran up to them then and instantly joined their embrace, let her head sink on Jennas shoulder and started to cry, shared the tears her father spilled. 

It was sad and beautiful at the same time, the deepest emotions mixing up and filling the room, leaving them drowning overwhelmed, gripping thighter to held on to each other. Jenna knew then that she was safe. She knew that it was over, that she would go home soon, see Tyler again. Peace took hold of her heart and soul, strength build in her mind. As much as she wanted to denie it...Logan were right. Tyler would have to pay for this, but he would do gladly when he learned what had caused this mess in the beginning. She was sure he would be as devestated about Samanthas death as Logan was himself once he understood what had happened. 

For now all there was was the silence, the comfort, the soothing strokes and kisses she gave. Jenna had once been a pawn, a hostage, a sacrifice. Now she was the saviour the two of them needed.


	11. Chapter 11

"It's a fault to trust him!" "He's not the one who held information from me or hampered the investigation, which, by the way, you will have to justify for." Taking a quick glance through the balcony door to make sure Blurry was still in place and did nothing all too stupid Josh tried desperatly to find an argument to proove his point. "You said you've talked to him. You must have recognised that he is...different when he is like this. He will provocate the kidnapper, you raise danger for Jenna if you let him take the call!" 

Leaning casually on the railings Detective Sanders didn't change her features. After some hours with Joseph in his < insane > state of mind of course she had seen a lot of distressing things...the normally shy appearing singer insulted practically everyone around him with a doubtlessness and arrogance that had no equal. In her time she had seen some cases of mental illness...this was far beyond everything she ever had encountered and it was fascinating to no end. 

The singer never seemed to loose controll, never sat drooling in a corner or babbled something incoherent, he had just switched into another person, into the meanest side of him while traces of his original personality shone through from time to time, like when he talked about Jenna or Josh. Behind his cold, hard words Karen could sense that the two of them were important to him, enough to make them important for his < counterpart > too. She saw behind the curses, the innuedo, the mock and Blurry knew it. That was why he avoided talking to her too much and settled on harrasing everyone else in the room instead. 

"Yeah, I kind of recognised that when he asked me if he could eat me out on your lap." Automatically searching for his cigaretes, remembering that he had thrown them away Josh grabbed the railings beside her then to give his hands a task. "Don't take it personally, ok? Tyler would never talk, let alone think like that. And he has him under controll...usually." "With medication?" Throwing another gaze into the youngers direction the drummer sighed. "Partly...it is...complicated." "Well...we got time." Unfazed the female detective observed him closely. "See, Joshua...if everything you told us is right Logan is in a very dificult state of mind too. We need to find them as fast as possible and if he learns Tyler is back he maybe will arrange the meeting faster. With you in charge there is always the possibility he panics and backs out, but when he knows he can meet him...he still got an account on him."

Nearly angry the drummer shook his head then. "You don't understand! That," he gestured towards the room, "man in there is not Tyler Joseph, not in the moment. That...thing is evil, embittered and dangerous. I had to cope with Blurry more times then I'd like to admit and believe me...you haven't even seen half of the abuse! You might believe you can controll him, but you don't know what you're calling for. Blurryface likes to play games and he likes to win." Softening her features and laying a hand on his arm Karen made him face her then. "That man in there," she started, worringly studiyng his face, "IS Tyler Joseph. I get that you don't want to accept that your friend is capable of such things as violence or verbal insults, but it is part of his personality as it is part of everyone's. He might just be more afraid of it then you or me and lock it away until it breaks through."

Josh let his head hang low and inhaled deeply then, taking in the sight of the street lying far down beyond them like the visualisation of the abyss he felt standing by. "You don't understand." was all he gave back.

 

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With the cold water splashing in his face Mark defeated the nausiouness in his brain and faced himself in the mirror. He had went to the bathroom to get some distance, some quiet for at least minutes and had only realised when sitting down at the edge of the bathtube how tired and worn out he were. Now his eyes met the circles that aligned them, the paleness of his skin, the ducked shoulders he held...and the person standing right behind him fixing him with a dangerous stare. 

Shooting up and turning around in the same bold motion Mark stumbled back only to be backed up against the sink so he nearly sat on it. Blurry was fast, like always, he went from being frozen to intimidate the other in no time. Panicing the videographer brought his hands up to the singers fingers, that had gripped his thoat and put just enough pressure to make him choke. "Shhhhhhhhhhh." Blurryface hissed hot breath in his ear then as he pressed them together so Mark could not move an inch. "I'm not going to hurt you, Markieboy, I just want to talk." 

"Get..." well knowing that there was no substance behind the others words Mark fought back then and tried to push the singer, "off of me!" His attempts failed when Blurry simply grabbed his hair and slammed his head back into the mirror with full force. The shadder of the glas accomponied Marks cry drew a smile from the others face. There were so much hate, so much rage inside of him and Blurry needed to get it out. Normally he didn't care who he pulled his energy on...this time he needed to channel his feelings, aim it at the one's who were not so important for this mission. 

Sanders had threatened him to throw him back into the cell if he made just one more comment towards her and Blurry really did mind that. It was strange for him, all of this. After years of being bottled up, of well grooming his hate against Tyler, everything he was and stood for, he suddenly found himself sharing a goal with him. Jenna...she had not only won Tylers heart, she had sobered his mind. She had taimed Blurry in a way he could not decline to obey when she bond him down one night and took controll, set him off after he promised to retreat, to leave her and Tyler alone, to stay in the back of the singers mind. 

She was Tylers joy, his wife, his everything. She was Blurryface' desire, mistress, his purpose. Over years the both of them had struggled and tryied to bring each other to death...when they found Jenna they suddenly had a common reason to stay alive. So for once Blurry did everything he could to help Tyler...which required to hold back against Josh and the detective. 

The reliefe came in form of the dark blood dribbling down Marks neck, the pleads of the videographer as Blurry started to punch him in the face again and again. This was what he lived for: suffering, fear, pain. For years now Tyler had given him the worst torture he could think of: not being able to get out his rage. The singer was so controlled, so kind, so taken back while Blurry screamed in the back of his mind everytime when Tyler should have gotten mad at someone or something. Instead of it he had always just smiled his way through, kept being polite. Parting himself in two halfs, multilplying his fears Tyler had tried to lock in all negativ emotions...only to have Blurryface push them all out as he was able to do so now. 

It had taken them surprisingly long to react, Blurry observed with coolness as the detective and the other cop she had brought with cracked the door open and stormed into the bathroom. Sanders didn't wait a minute to shoot her taser on him. With the contacts clawing to the skin of his neck a sudden shock ran through his body, fried his veins. Blurryface took the first one, but knew the next would bring him down. He tried not to laugh too hard as he retreated...instead he silently enjoyed the screams of pain Tyler gave when he became aware. 

 

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"...to understand. He's mentally ill. You need to accept that." Still trying to convince the drummer that he was wrong detective Sanders turned in a rush as she heard the first scream. It was full of pain and clearly alarming, in time with the young man beside her she started off to the room, stumbled inside close before him. The ward was already trying to break the bathroomdoor where the noises came from, it seemed to be kind of a fight. "Stay back!" she yelled at the drummer who tried to rush her by and break the door. "I need to..." Sanders had enough then. The longer this case took the more everybody seemed to freak out and she was not the one to hand controll over to panick. 

Pulling her teaser she held him at gunpoint then, warning him with a glare that needed no words. Defeated raising his arms to both sides of his head Josh stepped back a bit. "Down." she ordered and he followed, knelt on the floor. "Hands behind your head. Stay there until I say otherwise." Karen hoped she had sounded dominant enough the moment the ward managed to break the lock and she had to face another danger. 

The first thing she noticed were the spray of blood floating through the room with every hit the singers fist made on his friends face. Sanders had been trained for such situations, she felt the familiar feeling crawling up in her. Facing violence always slowed her perception down and she saw everything in slow motion. Cool and controlled she raised the teaser, aimed at the raging mans neck and hit directly. Pressing her thumb down on the trigger hard she send an electrick schock through him, as he didn't stop another one, then paused as he went down, his whole body clenching, his throat strangled for a moment before he gave an primevil scream. 

Karen knew she didn't had to do another shot then...still, observing herself surprised, she did, made him scream and twist and spasm again. Letting the teaser fall to the ground she stepped back then and gestured the ward to take over while she rushed to the videographer who had sunk to the ground as well. "Mark, can you hear me?" The shaking boy nodded slightly, she couldn't find his eyes under the mess his face had become, bloddy, swollen, split skin. Pulling out her phone she called an ambulance, then ordered the drummer to come in and help her pull the injured up, lay him down on the couch. 

Tyler had become unconscious then, his limps sprawled in strange position over the floor. Breathing heavy, close to passing out Josh let his gaze flicker between the bloddy Mark and the lifeless singer, flinching as the ward ripped the teasers contact out of his skin.

 

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Carefully so not to wake Savannah Jenna stroked the little girls hair and smiled about how cute she looked. She had read her fairytales while Logan was out to get food and some other things she asked him for. The ice was broken, he had let her free, didn't even lock the door to the motel room. They had spent hours clinging to each other, passing stories without speaking until Jenna insisted to bring Savannah to bed and then sit together and plan. 

She was already sure she wanted to help the both of them...she just needed to find a way to do his without greater drama. If she could have talked to Tyler, she knew he would understand, he would be in for everything she proposed because he truely trusted her, but unfortunatly Josh wouldn't be so easy to persuade. The drummer didn't knew her voice as well as her husband, he wouldn't be able to read between the lines, to believe that she was really ok and the moving spirit in this now. He would probably think she was threatened to suggest what she wanted to. 

Sighing the blonde shifted and layed down beside the girl. Logan had told her that Savannah had found her mother, hanging from the ceiling, her face blue and purple, her eyes pouring out. Since then the girl seldom slept without nightmares, with even darker ones then she might have had all her life. Her grandparents had never been mean towards her, just strikt and emotionless, but they tortured her mother for the bad she had done in their opinion. Getting pregnant at such a young age Samantha had brought shame to their family they decided and they did everything to correct her, to get her in the line again.   
It seemed the girls spirit never broke...until the day she couldn't bear it anymore, the day she noticed that Tyler had read her message and didn't reply. The day she felt all alone. 

Jenna had tried to imagine how Samantha must had felt and had learned that it was a too dark place to go. Loosing your love, your freedom, all of your hope...it was just too much to take. The singers wife made a decission then: Never ever would someone that reached out to him be left alone again, no matter what. She would take on that challenge, she would fill in where he couldn't be and try to bring light into all the darkness.

 

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"You don't understand! I'm a personal friend of them, I really need to see Joshua..." "I'm sorry Miss, I'm not allowed to let anybody through. This is an official investigation and I must ask you to leave now." Trying her best to look intimidating Debby glared at the policeman but had no sucess. For once in her lifetime she damned her cuteness and gave up, went back into the lobby and pulled her phone out. It hd ment to be a surprise, but it would be ok if Josh knew about her being here before he saw her too. Sleepless nights had followed his call, dark hours in that she questioned her heart and soul. 

He had been so desperate, so alone and it had hurt her more then her own feelings about him being always away from her. While she had missed him with the knowledge of him always coming back to her she had left him standing without any hope, out in the open. When her walls had started to tumble with the light of the morning Debby had cancled all her appointments and booked the first flight she could get. When they broke apart she had demanded from him to change his life, to stay with her all the time. Never had she thought about the possibility of giving everything up to follow him.

Her thumb slipped one or two time out of nervousness as she wrote the message, she had to correct some of the words before she was satisfied. With a beating heart and a spinning mind Debby waited for him to reply. 

 

Xxxxxxxxxxx

 

Cold fingers on his front where he had layed his head down on Tylers hand Josh woke up to the vibrate of his phone. He registered Sanders straightning beside of him, only a few feet away, she observed his every move carefully as he pulled the phone out and opened it to read the message. The kidnapper hadn't called until now and it was unlikely that he would text so the detective did not stand up to read over his shoulder but to stop him when he shot up and leaped for the door. 

"You're not going anywhere, you're under arrest!" she barked at him, blocking his way. "But I..." coming to an halt, taking a deep breath Josh tried to still his running mind, sound responsible and collected. "This was a message from my ex-girlfriend. I called her the other day when you took Tyler because I needed someone to lean on then. Now she is here, right down in the lobby." He took another shaky breath, closed his eyes for a second and then looked at her, hoping she could read the honesty in it. "I die every night thinking about her and now she came here from the other side of the world...don't make me fight you to get to her...god knows I will." 

 

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Every movement hurt, but what was the worst was his damaged pride. Mark didn't bother to look into a mirror, the looks on the faces of his friends were enough when they came to visit him in the hospital. The others apollogized themselfs quickly, telling him that they would fly back home as the management had cancled the rest of the tour. Nobody knew what was currently going on, all the police had let them know was that the two bandmates where under arrest for now, for their own safety they said. 

Schocked taking in the videographers damaged face Michael was the last man standing then, when everyone else was quick to leave. He slowly strolled closer, made sure the injured man could recognise where he was although Marks vision was deeply blurred at the moment. "You know...I remember the times when there were only the four of us." he started, quiet and friendly, warming up the room with his smile. "It felt like eternity...like it would never end. It just became bigger and bigger until we suddenly didn't knew each other anymore. I was the first you guys shut out when Tyler began to change. Looking at you I'm not sure if I'm not glad about it. I'm just sorry I left you alone in this Mark. You know I'll always be there, don't you?" 

Tired the videographer raised his hand then to gesture him to come closer, in his reach. When he was standing beside the bed, bend down a little, Mark grapped his shirt, pulled him into a hug and started to cry. A lost friendship had been what was standing between them. The loss of another one brought them back together. 

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Lying perfectly still Blurry took in his enviroment. He wasn't surprised that he was waking up earlier then Tyler, the boy had never been the one to be able to take much beating, let alone being teasered. In fact he was a welcomed sacrifice, ready to use whenever his demon needed to protect himself. Once, when he was young, it had been the other way around...once Blurryface had been Tylers secret. But the more he talked about him, the more he displayed him in show or videos the more Blurry became real, substential again. 

They had not brought him back to prison, yet they had done actions to restrain him. He felt that his right arm was cuffed to the bed and as he slowly opened his eyes he learned that Sanders watched him calm, with her gun lying in her lap. Still his body felt numb and was in pain, but Blurry didn't care, it were not his damaged veins, not his bloody knees, he could leave whenever he wanted to. This feeling of power made him smile, a strange contorted one that left a shiver on the detectives spine.

"I hope you realise that you're not going to be free anytime soon again." Blurry chuckled on that, let his head roll to the side so he could face her. "What do you want to do? Turn Tyo into a bobby hatch? We've been there, we've done that. They couldn't take me out as well." Fascinated and disgusted at the same time Sanders stood up and walked over, knelt down beside him so he could see her eyes better. "Tyler, I don't know if you are aware that you nearly killed your friend. I get that whole < splitting yourself > thing, I really do...but it's time you stop and face the consequences of your disease. You need help...seriously and urgent." 

For a moment she thought she had reached him when he just lay there and answered her gaze, his demanour relaxed, his features not hardened or twitching. Sanders learned she was wrong when Blurry spit her right into the middle of her face.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

It could have been like a scene out of a romantic movie if it hadn't been for the sad cause it happened. Debby stood in the middle of the lobby, her foot tapping a nervously beat she couldn't remember, waiting for him to call or write or whatever back. That there had been no reaction since nearly ten minutes made her feeling insecure, challenged. Maybe Josh had already moved on, maybe he had changed his love into friendship and she was here for the wrong reason.

She couldn't hold herself from hoping when she heard the elevator sounding, when she turned in time to see him step out of it. It could have been a scene of running towards each other, kissing each other sensless, telling confessions of love, of never leaving again. Instead of it Josh stopped and looked at her, through the room, through all of this people and she knew instantly that she still held his heart. He didn't rush then, he walked over slowly and while she looked up at him, her soul open, her mind blown, he just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. 

For what seemed like hours they just clinged to each other then, united without words or further touches, Debby tried to work magic and anchor him to the ground as she felt that he was floating, confused and worn out. There was no need to talk about them being back, no requirement to proove it with a kiss. Her caring fingertips on his neck, the way his face were pressed into her hair were enough to tell them that none of them would let go from then on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so far for reading, hope u all still enjoy :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sry for shortness, pretty busy at the moment

Silent Logan placed her phone, the mask and the gun at the table between them. They had waited until Savannah fell asleep again, not wanted to disturb the new found security that their new relationship created. Of course the girl clinged on Jenna...as gently and nice Logan was with his daughter, she clearly lacked the loving hand of her mom. 

Starring down at the items the blonde took a deep breath then. It was surreal to know that only one day before all of this things had threatened her to death – at least two of them – and the man sitting across from her had done that as well. Now, with slummbed shoulders and traces of tears on his face Logan seemed nowhere near threatning at all. "They had the news channel on when I was at the store. They are searching for me. It won't be long until somebody realises that we're here." 

Taking his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers, Jenna leaned closer. "If my plan goes off the three of us will be on our way by this time tomorrow." He gave a sad, weak smile on that and Jenna could feel that he was tired, tired of all this, but had no choice then to go on. "I still don't get why you want to help me. You should hate me." Softly squeezing his hand she tried to give insistence to her words then. "What you did was wrong Logan, we both know that...but the cause why you did so is a good one. See...you never really did hurt me...you always kept you distance...I think it's safe to say I'm the luckiest hostage ever." 

"You're no hostage anymore." he corrected quickly, suddenly raising their combined hands and planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I just hope Tyler is aware what he got in his hands. You're truely a goddess and you deserve to be treated like one." Blushing Jenna pulled her hand back then, let it linger over the phone. "This is your last chance, Logan. Are you sure you trust me and don't want to get on with your own plan?" His front crincled, his eyes squinted in concentration the young man looked over to his daughter who was peacefully sleeping in the worn down motelbed at the other end of the room. "Yeah. I'm sure." 

 

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Blurry had waited for the punch, but it never came. Instead of it Sanders laughed into his face, whiped his spit off with her sleeve and stood to look down on him. "That, my friend, might have been your biggest fault." While she was cold and tough on the outside her inner voice raged and rambled. He was starting to get under her skin, in a way she disliked big time. It was not the way he looked, although she could shamelessly admit that he was an attractive man, it was the challenge he set on her. Karen knew to handle characters like him because her own were alike. 

She knew all the dark thoughts, the desires, she had taimted them well, but when he turned his head and gave her a dreamy gaze through half lidded eyelashed she felt hot rising in her stomach and cursed inwardly on it. "Try me...I can do better!" he whispered raspy and for a moment he could see into her soul, pierced her armor. What surprised her was that he let it go, didn't take her on on it. He just lay there and smiled, that gruesome, somehow broken twitch of lips that might have been the half of his aura.

Their silent battle was disturbed by his telephone ringing. Sanders knew she had not much time to decide on her next move, so she snatched it from the desk, grabbed the singer on his shirt and pulled him up the headboard so he sat. Shoving the phone into his free hand she took her teaser and held it ready to shoot at him. "No games, Tyler." "Oh I'm sure little Tyo would obey that with joy." "Joseph, Blurryface, Mickey Mouse, I don't care who you are right now: No games." Sighing the young man took the phone and answered the call, not without a "You're no fun at all!" thrown the detective way. "Hello?" he nearly barked into the line, earning a warning glance.

"Ty?...Tyler, oh my god, is this you?" For a second Blurry closed his eyes and let the voice drip into his soul. Jenna...perfect, wonderful, marvelous Jenna, his succubus, his drive. He had truely missed her, the way she restrained him, controlled him, wore him down. Tyler probbly didn't even knew what she was capeable of and that just made the whole thing even more delightfull for Blurry. Jenna and him had a secret and he couldn't wait to tell it to his counterpart one day. For now he decided to play along as good as possible, just to see where it was leading them.

"Jen? Babe? Are you ok?" he pressed out, tried to give his voice a higher pinch to match her husbands tone. "Yeah, I am..." she was crying now, "you got no idea how happy I am to hear you right now!" "Ask me!" Sanders leaned foreward beside him and grabbed the phone for a moment, switching on the speaker before handing it back to him. "Tyler, I need you to listen closly...and to trust me. We don't got much time, we..." "Is he hurting you?" Blurry interrupted her boldly then. Not that he wouldn't mind to much, he knew she could take a littlebit of pain out of own experience, but he needed to know, to save the memory for when they were alone so he could enjoy it. 

She hesitated a moment, it was just the split of a second, just a little breath sucked to harsh, but she had taken up on the change. "No. He's not even threatning me...he would have let me go hours before. Ty...I'm here on free will." Grunting low Blurry couldn't hide his dissapointment then. It had been bad enough to have to share her with Tyler...the thought of her being close to any other man sparked an appocalyptical fire in him. "Don't forget who you belong to." he stated then, making the compromise not to snap at her but still showing that he disliked it. 

Again there was a little silence, like if she tried to hear into his heart, to identify the clues. Sanders facepalmed and shook her head on the grin the singer gave as his wife finally spoke up again, with shaking voice and fear prominent in her tone. "I thougt we had a deal, Blurry." 

 

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Logan watched the change of emotions on her face, where drawn into the happy sparkle her eyes shone with when she heared her husbands voice and shocked by the paleness that took her features over suddenly, changed her beautiful face into a mask. "I thought we had a deal, Blurry." she croaked out, the tremble in her voice convolving to her whole body, leaving her shaking. Out of an insperation Logan stood up and walked over to her, embraced her, held her close, pressed his ear to her side so he could understand what was going on. It felt unnaturally and wrong, but Jenna relaxed into his touch, closed her eyes. 

"We had...but you broke the rules." Taking a deep breath she answered: "We may have to talk about that. But I need Tyler now...this is really important! Please, just let me talk to him, just for a minute." This time he owned the silence lingering in the line, only making his smile more present as he gave back: "No." Silently cursing Jenna pulled herself out of Logans arms and leaned on the desk, rubbing her temple with her free hand. "Ok, then you will have to be enough for now. Blurry, listen, this is really important, I don't have time to play one of your sick games right now, ok?" "You're doing a great job playing one yourself it seems." "Maybe. You could find out...I give you a challenge." She knew a shudder ran through Tylers demon then, she had learned how to push his bottons, drag him in the direction she wanted him to be. 

When Jenna had first met Blurryface she had not been afraid, not like everyone else had been. It had been quite the opposite...she was fascinated, mesmerized by how purely mean and evil he was. She adored Tyler for his kindness, his warmth that he caried in heart and soul, while she secretly admired the dark part of his mind, the coldness and danger it held. Instead of shying away she had started to learn about him, had spent nights to read into psychological books or watching him sleep, trying to find traces of his second persona on his face. 

Finally she had found a way to get to know and lastly defeat him. Blurryface was a sucker for pain and given the right kind of it to himself he was ready to do practically everything she wanted. There was a box she kept hidden in her own house, kept a secret from the man she loved. It contained Blurrys restrains, the weapons she used on him when she had to fight him back. Even if it had been a long time since she had to use it...Jenna still kept practicing every day. 

That was why she slipped into her commanding voice so easy, even if the situation itself left her desperate. And of course he was hooked by the minute. "Bring it on!" "Ok. I need you to meet me and give me the money and the passports. Then I need a car and a bag with some of my cloaths. I need to go somewhere...for a few days, but I will be back until the end of the week safe and sound. Make sure nobody knows about it...not even Joshua. Blurry..." she cringed inwardly but knew she had to surrender at one point, "this is really important to me. If you help me out on this one...I'll own you something." 

"Are you sure? You know my debts are high." Of course Jenna was aware what he was talking about. There was one thing she never had given in: To let him take control on her. First of all it really frightened her down to the bone to only think of it, because it was sure she would never get out of it completly unharmed, second she was afraid to never be able to share closeness with Tyler again after letting his demon insult her. Searching for an answer, a sign how to go on she found Savannahs eyes as the girl woke up and smiled brightly at her, like if she was her angel. Exhaling slowly Jenna did her choice then. "Yeah. You can do to me whatever you want."

 

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Michael still stayed at the hotel so they had been able to find some privacy in his room. Holding her close, constantly stroking her back, her hair, her arms...every part of her to make sure she were real, Josh regreted that they started out like this. It felt too much like an emotional overreaction, like a substitution because they both hadn't been able to find a new love. 

Still he was addicted to her scent, the way she smiled in the afterglow, how she snuggled against his chest and frickin' purred...it drove him insane. "I'm sorry." he stammered out, hating himself for filling the comfortable silence but feeling obliged to do so. "I got carried away. I shouldn't have let this happen." Slowly letting her fingers trace his abs Debby raised her hand to his face, let her thumb slip over his lips as if to silence him. "IF this is a fault then I'm guilty as well. But it's yours to decide what to make out of this. Wherever you want this to go I'll follow. I'm so sorry I had to hurt you so much to find out how important you are to me. Joshua, I lo..." 

Catching her wrist, kissing it lightly before fixing her hand on his chest he broke her off. "Just...please don't say it. Not now. Give it time. I couldn't take it if you had to redeem that again." Sadness filling her veins Debby nodded slightly and withdrawled slowly. She rolled on her side and propped her head on her ellbows, watching him with the same love but a lot of pain in her eyes. "So what's about Jenna? Did he call again?" The drummers features changed from relaxed to strained in no time. "No. And I think I'm glad about it. The longer he takes the higher is the possibility Tyler is back." Surprised Debby sucked in a deep breath. 

"Blurryface is still there? Wow...when was the last time he was present for so long?" "I don't even know IF he has ever fronted that long. I'm afraid that detective is triggering him somehow...Tyler might be so afraid that he can't come back even if he wants to...and Blurry eats on fear." Absently tracing his arm she allowed them to feel a littlebit closer again, cringing on the frustration in his voice "What can we do to help him?" "Nothing. We can just wait and see who wins the battle."

 

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"You're not actually thinking I will let this happen, don't you." "Why not? It's the perfect solution...She will lead us to him and you get him without threat for her or the girl." Taking the phone out of his hands Sanders snorted. "It's not Logan I'm worried of at the moment." Shaking his head lightly with an amused laugh Blurry looked up to her. "Oh come on...what do you think I'm going to do to her that I haven't done already? Jenna is my fucking wife!" "She's Tylers wife as far as I know." "Oh, now that it comes handy you DO make a difference between us?" 

"Maybe you prooved me wrong. Maybe you are really a person on your own. That just speaks even more for not letting you go there to meet her. We can pick her up, she will tell us where he is...if it is actually true he's not hoding her anymore. This might be a trick to get a hold on Tyler...Logan still wants him to pay." Sensation tingling down her neck Sanders watched his eyes getting even darker then."One more cause to let me go...if he tries to attack me, I'll make sure he'll never forget that day." 

Changing the subject to buy time the female detective crinkled her front. "How does it feel? I mean...can you hear him or something?" Blurryface leaned back into the cushions and gave himself a moment to find the right words to explain. "I can hear him...just not in the conventional way...he's like an itch in the back of my head...a foreign taste on my tongue. I know he is screaming and trying to fight his way back, but...I can't let go. I don't want to go back into the darkness...I want him to stay there...to feel what I felt...to see what I saw...Tyler needs to understand...it's important."


	13. Chapter 13

Holding both of her hands in his Logan starred deep into her eyes as the stood in the bathroom, prepared for what was to come. "I honestly don't know what to say." he finally started, smiling a shy twitch of lips, leaving an impression of how beatiful he must had been to Samanthas eyes when they were happy. Without hesitation Jenna pulled him close again, kissing his temple, sighing when he wrapped his arms around her and returned the gesture. "You'll find it strange Logan...but...you gave me something I couldn't be more thankfull for. You showed me how lucky I am to have Tyler and how stupid and childish I was to risk our relationship every time I got mad at him for unimportant things."

Pulling back he looked at her sadly now, streaking her hair back so he could see her eyes better. "Why do I still have the feeling you are afraid to meet him?" he asked into the tensness between them, searching her gaze for an answer. "It's a long story to tell and we don't got time for it." Jenna broke away then finally, took a step back and straightened her posture. "He waits in a hotel about twenty minutes from here. I will be back around eight I guess. Be sure to get everthing ready, we leave as soon as we can." "Are you sure he will let you go?" Cringing at the irony of the situation, pulling on an invisible mask, Jenna hoped Logan could not see behind her lie. "Of course. Tyler would never force me to do anything." 

 

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Meeting up with Michael in the lobby Josh tossed him his keycard the same moment the manager threw a coke his way, both of them catching their items perfectly and grinning at the well performed trick. It felt too good to see Josh smile to be mad at him, the older decided then and shamelessy hugged the drummer, drawing even more curious gazes from staff and tourists around them. "Your face tells me you have good news." Josh croaked out, gently unfolding his friends arms and push him back so he could breath better. "Indeed I have! If Marks healing progresses like this I will be able to fly him home in about two days." 

Feeling relief and sadness washing over him at the same time Josh was not sure how to answer on that. When Michael left there were only the two of them left behind...the three if he counted Blurry. Debby was already on her way home, not because she had wanted to, but because he had demanded it. He didn't wanted to start all over with her in this state of mind, when he had nothing left to defeat himself from her love. Although, when all of this was over the first thing he would do would be flying back to her. 

"How is he...mindwise...you know...psychologically?" Avoiding his gaze Michael slightly shook his head then. "Don't ask ok? I'm sure there are enough things you have to cope with at the moment, let Marks condition be my problem." Giving thankful nod Josh opened the drink then, drowning it in nearly one gulp. He hadn't realised how thirsty and hungry he was, how much he craved a shower and clean clothes. "I owe you a lot on this one, Mike...and if you let me I will take my time to apologise once we are through all this shit."   
"T's nothing, man." the tour manager whispered then, meeting him with worry eyes. "Just be sure to take care of yourself." 

 

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Although the room was warm a chill ran through his body as Blurry stood shirtless in the middle of it, his arms stretched out to either side, strong hands moving down his body, stopping at his tattos as they were pinning a cable to his chest. He was aware that his breath changed and he let it happen as Karen bend down and guided the cable around his hip to his backpocket, where she connected it to the sender she had slipped in before. Going backwards the line to make sure it was taped securely she stopped at the level of his belly suddenly catching his gaze and the unintelligibly dirty smirk on his lips. "I swear if you hurt her I will rip your balls out." she spit at him, straightning up fast, withstanding the urge to punch him right into the face. 

"Don't give me empty promises." he challenged her further, tilting his head. "You can move now. Get dressed." Karen bit back, turned and went to gather her equiptment form where she had sprawled it on the desk. When he had slid on a black, casual shirt she gestured him to come closer again and leaned in guiding her hand to his ear. With gentle pressure she place a small ear device in it, letting her fingers linger for a second, then retreated. "This might be your game...but it will be my rules we're playing by. If I loose connection to you in any kind of way we are coming in. If you don't follow any orders I give you, we're coming in. If you loose connection in any kind of way, signalise it." 

"What are we doing if he's not there?" "Well...depends on how much Jenna can tell you. Worst case is that we have to let her go and follow her so we can save the girl." Changing his expression into a serious, dark one he asked again, lower this time. "What are we doing if he is there?" Sanders tried to identify what was going on in his twisted mind as he stood there, starring into nothing, bloodshot, nearly red eyed. "Whatever you do," she calmly stated, "try not to kill him." 

 

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Black tinted darkness was all he was aware of, the lack of the simplest light, the slightest dawn. Tyler did not knew if he was standing or lying, it felt like floating through something that couldn't be air as it felt to thick, but had no substance though. After the sudden pain he had felt as Blurry forced him to front, the electric power running through his veins, he had been thrown back here, into the prison of his own mind where he was locked up and unable to get out by his own. 

Tyler had realised there was no point in trying to fight it – he was trapped as long as Blurryface was pleased with him being so...and that might have been forever. When they had been younger there had been a time they had shared their conciousness, tried to live along each other, but it had ended with his counterpart constantly trying to kill him. With the help of Josh, and later Jenna, he had fought Blurry back, raigned him in. Never had he given a second thought on where the other went when he was defeated. Now Tyler knew.

It's hard to feel pitty for someone you hate, still the singer couldn't fight to get at least a little sympathic to his demon, developed an understanding for why Blurryface was so angry, so violent, so mean. It must have been hard enough to consist out of only all the bad shades of his personality. To be locked in without the possibility to take the anger, the sadness, the desperation out on something or someone...it would have made lesser people go crazy. 

The more time he was kept like this the more Tyler began to feel their connection strengthen. It nearly was as if Blurryface stopped to be another person...he slowly melted into his own. What should have frightened him brought some strange kind of relief to Tylers soul. He began to understand that the other might have never been a manifastation of his fears and an individual himself...it might have been just him, all the time, alone, all in one, with a sharp line drawn between who he was and who he wanted to be.

 

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Sanders could do nothing to ease the drummers doubts, still she tried at least. "I count on you, Joshua. As far as I observed nobody gets along with him like you do and I need someone close to him who is able to take control." "Your impression is wrong. Blurryface does not listen to me." Starring intently in the drummers thightened face Karen switched to a softer tone then. She let her shoulders slumb and rubbed the bridge of her nose with two fingers, suggesting him the headache that pounded behind her front. 

"That might be true, but Tyler does. I've seen you making him coming back before, after he attacked my partner. Why can't you get to him now?" Lowering his head and starring down at his clenching fingers Josh whispered. "I don't know." Sanders wished she would have time to give him, but the clock was already ticking so she impatiently tapped her fingers on her arms until he got on. "He was never for so long before. But...Jenna might be able to bring him back, she did it too before...she was the one who was able to get rid of Blurry for years now." 

Uncrossing her arms and laying a hand on his shoulder the detective motioned him to stand up then. "Everything leads back to her, doesn't it? The thing is...we still don't know what's really going on. If she or Logan sees him with anyone of us they might dissapear again...still I don' trust your friend at the moment, so I need somebody close to him I can trust...and even if you lied to me I can tell that you are as interested in getting this thing done smoothly as I am." She handed him the keys of a car, giving him an encouraging smile. "Just get him to the hotel. Wait in the car for further instructions."

The door being opened left no space for questions as Blurry intimidating presence immediatly filled the room. "Ah..Jiswha...what a joy seeing you again." he smiled broken, tugging on a black hoddie. "Karen here told me you'd join me for the ride...how can I get any luckier then spending the next hours with my two favourite people." "I'm sure Jenna would appreciate it just as much as me if you'd just shut up and let Tyler get back." Stopping in his motion, his smile as frozen as the rest of his body, Blurryface shot him a nasty gaze then. "I think you are wrong. That little bitch hasn't been fucked good enough for years now. She'll be out of luck to have me fix that."

 

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Nervous Jenna pushed the sunglasses up her nose and let her eyes ran another time over herself in the mirror. She was early at the lobby, but she had needed the time to prepare herself for what was to come. The last time she had encountered Tylers dark side she had been secure. It had been so easy to tie Blurry down after he had seen what she had prepared for him. The hard thing had been to lie to her husband in the morning, telling him the wounds his body caried came from the harm he did to himself when he was out of his mind. 

He had been terryfied and it took him nearly a half year to recover mentally from that night, still it had been fundamental. Blurry had not come back for years after that, not that present like he seemed to be now. Jenna wasn't really sure what was the worst...that Tyler had fallen back into his old habbits or that a part of her, the one she had discovered that night and hid well since then, was glad he did so. It was hard to admit, but she had missed Blurry sometimes.

When they had met her husbands soft, held back personality had made her love him. Tyler worshiped her, he never had anything then praises and nice words for her, even if they argued and she spit curses on him all he did was to smile and tell her that she didn't meant it that way. He was understanding and nice and soft and kind...and sometimes Jenna hated it. Sometimes she wanted to loose. Sometimes she wanted to be controlled, held down by her neck, being taken, being shown who she belonged too. 

It was that part of the whole story that scared her the most. It were not the things Blurryface might plan to do to her that kept her trembling. It was the knowledge that she would like it way too much. 

 

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Swinging her feet back and forth Savannah sat on the motel bed and watched her father pace. Logan had not sat down a single moment since Jenna was away, he kept moving from wall to wall, in a slow and calm rythm. Little did the girl knew what was going on, but she had made her own assumptions out of the muffled words she had picked up, out of the way her father packed their things together and told her to get ready to leave soon. 

They had a strange kind of relationship, she realised when she withstand the urge to get up and hug her daddy...the man who had told her he was. Savannah had remembered him from crumbled pictures her mother had hidden under her mattress and showed her when her grandparents were not around. She had told the girl things about him then, things that helped her to get to know him. Savannah had never seen her father before the day he broke into her grandparents house at night and stealed her away, but she had a connection to him yet, strong enough that she didn't scream, didn't cry, just took his hand and followed him. 

From her mothers lips Savannah knew how he smelled. She knew how the colour of his eyes seemed to brighten up when he smiled. She had been told about the thin crinkled lines around his lips that dissappeared when he was sad. About how his brows danced when he was exited. Samantha had been able to paint a picture in her mind that fitted the reality quiet perfect. Still, after weeks of being on a run, after all the things she have had to process while they were doing so, Savannahs convictions started to change. 

Logan had seemed so powerfull, he had came as her saviour, had promised her a better life, a family. All she had gotten so far where his helpless attempts to keep her safe and the shy hugs he gave her when she creeped closer to him for warmth at night. Only since Jenna and him had found a truce it seemed he was able to really embrace her, hold her for some moments, but in the end he ever had to drew back.

Savannah began to ask herself what was wrong with her. Why did everyone keep his distance from her? Why had nobody been there to hold her hand when she found her mother dead, the only person in her life that gave her the security of being loved? Why had nobody dried her tears when she stood at her grave, everybody telling her grandparents they are sorry instead?

Feeling all alone, but sharing the same hope as her father deep in her heart Savannah wished Jenna would come back for real. She seemed to be the only one who truly cared.

 

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"For Christ sake, Blurry, stop that shit!" Slapping the youngers hand off his knee Josh tried to concentrate on the lane before him, navigating them through the evening traffic in a foreign city. Sighing dissapointed the singer slumbed back into the seat beside him and crossed his arms behind his head. "Fine, if you really think you can deny you want me to fuck you, keep going." 

For some minutes there were silence between them, only interrupted by a honk of one of the cars around them here and then. Starting to let his fingers drum on the wheel Josh took a deep breath then. "Why are you doing this?" he asked into the air between them, feeling the words nearly floating into the others direction as the tension started to rise. Not moving, sitting beside him with closed eyes Blurry smiled again. "What do you mean? Hittin' on you?"

"All of it. Why do you insult and attack people, why are you so fucking mean to everyone?" The jam in front of them broke up a bit and Josh shifted into gear, taking them closer to their destination. "It's my nature. It's who I am." was the dry reply that sparked his anger. Fiercer then planned he spat: "No, it's not! Tyler...I tried to cope with you in this state for years now. I even let you make me believe Blurryface is real, that he is kind of a second personality of yours or something...but...maybe Sanders is right. You ARE aware of what you are doing, aren't you? You ARE there...this IS you. You tried to split yourself in two halfs and now you switch from one to another however you need it and legitimates it with Blurryface not being you." 

Switching his eyes open but still staying put Blurryface starred ahead, bracing himself for his next moves. They were nearly at the hotel Jenna had named and Sanders had booked a room in. Inside his pocket he could feel the soothing weight of the tool he needed to start his plan. In time with Josh pulling in the parking lot and bringing the car to a halt Blurry turned and faced him. The change in his features where so sligthly, so subtle that only the best of his friends could get it. The drummer saw Tyler for a second before his presence washed away again and cold metal closed around his wrist and the wheel with a click. 

Unbelieving Josh starred down at the handcuffs that connected him with the car now. He watched the other lean back, drew off his shirt, rip off the cable that was attached to his body. When he was dressed again he turned anoter time, finally giving the answer to every question asked before. "I'm sorry Joshua, I really am. I wish Tyler would have already realised what you said as much as the both of us do. But he needs some time, he isn't there yet. And when he is...I hope you'll still be there as well." 

Pushing the door open Blurry left the car then, pulling the sender out of his backpocket and throwing it into the passengers seat. "No! Wait! Tyler!" Motion ran into the drummer like whater into a drain and he started to toss, to get free of the restrain the younger had put on him. Calling after him again and again he watched his friend leave, heading for the front door of the hotel. Whatever he had in mind, it was no good and Josh was supposed to be the one to stop him. Cursing he snatched the devices beside him and tried to reconnect the microphone to the sender. "Can anybody hear me?" he asked frantically when he thought he got it. "You need to come in. Tyler is on the run." 

 

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Time stopped when their eyes met through the busy room full of people. With all might Jenna stand the urge to withdraw and run as he started to cross it, came up to her with a fast, straight pace. She opened her mouth to greet him, but had the air knocked out of her lungs by the force he gripped her wrist and pulled her with him, not slowing down a bit. "Blurry..." she whisper-shouted, nervously glancing around, hoping noone was getting suspicious. He didn't let go of her, dragged her through the lobby to a hallway and down it, ignoring her attempts to stop him. 

Strong-willed he pushed open a door, then another one and suddenly Jenna found themselfs in the backstreet of the hotel, where she stumbled over the court behind him. Blurrys iron grip started to hurt her but she stopped fighting it, rushed to get closer to him instead so she could at least ease the pressure. When they reached a rather crowded street he stopped for a second, his head snapping left and right until he found what he was searching for. Taking up his originally speed he jerked her to a taxi,yanked the door open and pushed her in, slipping beside her in one swift motion and giving the driver his warmest grin. 

"Hey buddy, could you take us to xxxxx road please?" "Y' guys staying in the motel, heh?" the old man grinned smuggly as he watched them in the backmirror, Blurrys arm thightly around Jennas shoulders, his other hand locked on her knee. "Yeah...honeymoon, ya know." he gave back casually and the driver nodded knowingly, starting the engine and averting his eyes from what he thought started at the backseat. Meanwhile Jenna feeled herself being pulled into the man beside her until she could feel his hot breath on her ear, promising and threatning at the same time. "Hello babe. I hope you missed me, because I got a lot of ideas how to make up for all of this time."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we've come a Long way...and we're nearly at the end. Thank u so much for still reading!

Sanders didn't need more then five minutes to get to him, still he could read on her stressed out face that she had already lost Tylers trace. Ripping the drivers door open, obviously checking him for any injuries and relaxing a bit as she realised he was unharmed Karen examined the handcuffes and hissed. "What happened?" "I'm not sure but I think he had planned that." "Really? Wouldn't have realised that without your smartness." 

Leaning back frustrated Josh sighed. "You know what? Maybe you should give Tyler some lessons in anger management. You're pretty good in taking it out...preferably on other people." Shooting him a toxicated glare Sanders wanted to snap back but held her tongue when she realised that he looked like he was about to cry. She turned and yelled some commands to her people, then she cruched down beside him and leveled her voice. 

"What is it?" The drummer didn't knew why he told her his thoughts then...maybe his head was just too full, his soul overpouring, maybe it was because she seemed not to be so damn emotionally involved. Whatever it was, the minute he started he felt the relief coming. "You were right, all the time. Ty is broken, he's ill..I refused to accept that for a long time now. And instead of helping my friend to get better I helped him ly to himself and made everything worse. Everyone around me told me I should not feed his ideas about Blurryface being another person...and I was too blind to see what they all saw. If he hurts Jenna in any way now...I will never be able to forgive myself." 

Hesitant but still the detective raised her hand then to lay it on his arm and make him face her. "Hey...you said Jenna knows to handle him...and I'm certain that Tyler is a good person deep within...he just got way of the track with all that pressure put on him. He was afraid of what he is capable off...I know that feeling too well. Just help him to learn to accept himself and everything will be alright." Letting her gaze wander to her collegues cars, reading their body language and learning that Tyler was nowhere to be found she hoped that her words wouldn't turn out to be a lie. 

 

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"...making a lot of progression. I think it's safe to say we can let you go home tomorrow." the doctor closed his assemblance and smiled at Mark sympathically. "Although...I'd still suggest you should see a therapist, at least once. You were victim of a servere violent attack, it's..." "No, thanks!" the videographer cut him off and shot a pleading glance to the man on the other side of the room. 

Sighing Micheal pushed himself off the wall and stepped into the conversation. "I'll make sure everything will be ok and if Mark will need psychological help I'll make sure he gets it." Not looking very convinced the doc gave a short nod. "Alright. We'll see each other tomorrow then for final eximation!" Waiting till he had left the room Micheal strolled over to the bed his friend was sitting on. Mark had insisted that he wanted to do everything by himself again and it had been pretty painfull to watch him struggle with getting dressed on his own. 

Still Michael was glad about the spark of life he saw in the others still black circled eyes. "I'm going to book the flights then. Tomorrow by that time we're already on the way back to Ohio. Can't wait to get out of here!" It was only a slight shift in the mood of his opponent, still Michael realised right away that something was wrong. "What?" he asked, well knowing it wouldn't need more words. Starring down at his hands Mark gave himself a minute to check up if he was sure on his decision before he stated it. "I'm not leaving, Mike. I'm going back to the hotel." Letting himself sink on the bed beside the other groaning the tour manager stroked the pinch of his nose with two fingers. 

"I don't think you should do that." "Still I'm doing it. They are my best friends, Mike. They need me right now." "Tyler pretty much lost the right to be called your best friend, don't you think?" Michael stated scoffing. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean that I am not still one of HIS bests. And he needs me now more then ever. He's loosing himself, Mike, if he hasn't already went fully missing in his own brain. I just can't leave him knowing he's going down like that. And I can't leave Joshua behind. He has no one on his side at the moment."

"Because he stubbornly refuses to see the truth." Looking out the window, pushing his own fears down as much as he could Mark straightened himself. "We both know they are totally wrong about the whole Blurry-thing. But it's not the time to make them pay for their mistakes. Tyler and I will have to build a new relationship after that for sure and I can't tell you if it will be a friendly one. But for now I'll be the friend I was for all this years." 

 

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Jenna had stayed silent the whole taxi ride long. She knew there was no point in freaking out – on one hand because Blurry fed pretty much on fear, on the other because she wasn't really afraid of him. It was more like being...unsettled with the manners he showed off. He had shown in the past that he was willing to hurt her, but they both knew he accepted at least some fundamential bounderies. Whatever he was going to do to her, he would never hurt her serious enough to really endanger her life. 

Still feeling his thight grip around her frame Jenna allowed herself to face him then, study his features. The signs where subtle, nearly not recogniseable for people who didn't knew him that well but she could tell the difference. Blurrys features always held kind of strain, it showed in the lines that apperead on his front and at the edges of his mouth. Jenna wondered if he could see the changes himself when he looked in the mirror...or if Tyler realised when he changed. 

They had talked about it, once, in the past, before Tyler began to cage Blurry in, before she had defeated him. He couldn't have given her an answer. When they reached their destination Blurry already knew he didn't had to threaten or pull her physical anymore. He just paid the driver and got out, holding the door while she followed, walking two steps behind her as she headed straight for the motel. She let him take the leed when they came up to the counter, when he got them a room. Silently they walked down the hallways, found the right door, opened it.

When it felt shut behind them, Jenna turned, her whole posture defensless, waiting for what was to come. She had assumed that he would use her right away, but Blurry surprised her. He gave her a long, distant glance and then walked her by, sitting down on the bed, letting his head fall into his hands. Not knowing how to react to this Jenna stayed in the middle of the room until he raised his eyes again and spoke up. 

"We need to talk." he said, deep and raspy, as she was used him to be. "I assume." the blond gave back. "This will the last time we see each other." Even if those words would have been spoken with more vigor, more strength, they couldn't have more impact on her then they already did. Tilting her head she waited for him to get on so she could understand. "I've made a decission. I'm tired of this. Tyler and I are fighting for all our life now and I don't think we ever knew why. I realised the cause now. All I gotta do is make him see it too so we finally can come to terms with each other." "What are you even talking about?" There was no direct answer, there never had been, Blurrys way of thinking was too twisted for that kind of conversation. 

"I will need your help Jenna. I gotta make him see that what he thinks is real isn't. He needs to learn that everything he put on me...the violence, the swearing, the meanness...that all of this was nothing then himself. I need him to realise that he needs to find a balance. That he can't shut out everything that might appear aggressive to him. That he can use anger for good." Standing up and walking up on her, grabbing her harsh by the waist Blurry pulled her close enough to let his breath linger on her face. "That he can use it to make you happy." 

 

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"NO!!!!!" Feeling his vocal chords nearly snap at the intensity of his cries Tyler couldn't care less about it. He ran through the darkness as fast as his feet could carry him, frantically searching for a wall, a resort, something substential in the dungeon of non-existence he had been thrown in. He came to an halt and fell to his knees, fists hammering into the ground beneath him as another picture flashed up in his mind, as the other side of his personality showed him how he gripped his wifes hair, pulled her head back, bit hickeys into her throat. 

"GET OFF OF HER!" he screamed again, driving punch after punch into the ground in the helpless attempt to hurt his self created counterpart in any form, to make himself stop. Tyler knew his subcounciousness could hear him, feel his rage, he knew the disorder fed on it, gained strength with every chord of sanity that snapped inside of him. Yet he didn't stop to fight, yell, hit until he was exhausted, until he nearly passed out. 

Lying down into the blankness all around him Tyler could not defeat the visions anymore then. Helpless he had to watch how he was marking her, grabbing her waist with too much force, leaving fingerprints on her perfect skin. He felt tears slip down his face, falling beyond him, somewhere in time, taking him with them into a downwards spiral. He nearly broke on a sound that twisted the reality suddenly, that turned the tables and left him stripped bare to the deepest of his feelings.

He had gripped Jenna, spun her around, pinned her against the wall with all of his force while he held her hands behind her back with a hard grip. Yanking her head back another time, pushing his hips into hers in a bold and open suggestion he let his hot breath roll down her neck along with a low growl. "You don't need to hide anymore. We both know you want this just as much as I do. Jen..." grabbing her chin and turning her head so he could easily push past her lips he revealed then what would destroy himself, but give him a chance for a new build up at the same time, "let go." 

Taking the order Jenna moaned deeply, letting herself fall back into his arms and handing mind and body over, not recognising how he changed behind her and finally, finally came fully aware again. She gave another sound as she was spinned and slammed into the wall hard. She opened her eyes when he stopped then, like waiting for her to do it. Jenna gasped when they face she starred in was not the one of his demon anymore. "Tyler? Oh, my god, Ty, you are back!" she broke out, wanted to embrace him. The hand in her hair stopped her, kept her in place. Tears streaming down his face Tyler looked at her with a pain in his eyes that nearly caused her heart to brake. "Why did you never tell me?" 

"I...I don't even know..." "Stop." Jenna went silent again, unsure about what was happening. She was bound to listen, couldn't move an inch, still his full weight pressed into her, his fingers tugging her hair. "Why did you never tell me you'd like to be touched like this? Why did you never tell me it turns you on?" It was not a question he wanted an answer to, so she kept still. "Why did you never loose a single word about my disease? Why didn't you open my eyes?" Like the salty water flowing his cheeks down now the words kept coming. 

"Why did Josh never confront me about? Did you all know? Did the whole crew knew that I'm ill...broken? Why did you all let me get like this? Why didn't you all help me to find my balance?" Slowly breathing out Jenna decided it was time to react now. She raised her hand to his face, subtle brushing away his tears, smiling at him. "I guess we were just as lost as you. It was so much easier to think someone else was taking you over. It was too hard too accept that you...could be this way. Tyler...I love you, you know that, right?" Nodding slightly he still didn't let go of her. "And you still love me?" Again only a small twitch of his chin. "Then let's try to restart...to reset yourself and us. Ty," looking deep into his eyes, her finger closing hard around his neck, "fuck me hard." 

 

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With the shadows growing on the dusty floor Logan lost his hope slowly. It wasn't that late, there was still time left before Jenna should have been back, still he somehow felt that this was not going to turn out as they had wished. He realised how Savannah was watching him from the edge of the bed, worry plastered on her little face. It gave him a sting to his heart. Logan had thought it would be easy to love her, to care for his own flesh and blood. Now he realised that he might not have been ready for the dutys that came with it. 

Unsure about what to do he stood up and walked over to her, crouching in front of her and taking her little hands in his big ones. "Hey," he started softly, "are you alright?" "When we leave here...will I go to kindergarden again?" she asked instead of an answer, her young voice holding a weight that made her words fall down on him. Looking to the ground he didn't knew what to give her then. How should he tell his daughter that her life would never be the same again? That there would be no visits at the playground, no being friends with other kids? That they would have to be carefull on every step they take, when they didn't wanted to be parted by force again...that she would not be able to return to the country she was born for at least a long time? 

They would live amongst strangers, living a lie and for the first time Logan realised that he might have made an mistake. This was not the world a five year old girl should live in. Being on the run was not what she shoruld have to go through. Logan came to a decision then, a crucial one. Squeezing her small fingers lightly he held her gaze when he spit his lie. "Yeah. You'll go back to kindergarden. You'll have a lot of friends. You'll have a good life, even if it will be hard sometimes...you..." "Daddy?" she interrupted him, made him stop. "Yeah?" "Why do you only talk about me...where will you be?" 

He lowered his head then, let his front linger on their hands, flinched at the small hand coming up, caressing his head. With the knowledge of a taintless soul Samantha whispered what he already had thought then. "You'll be with mummy, won't you?"

 

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Starring straight ahead Josh tried not to loose all hope he had left. He was sitting in the back of a squad car, securely seperated from the outside world, the one that had gone crazy at some point. They didn't knew who find out, but somehow all the sharks, the one's that lurked in the media pool, had got wind of this part of their story. Sanders was out there, barking orders to her people, keeping the journalists at bay. Through the radio that was situated in the front the drummer had got information that they at least had found a trace on Tyler and Jenna. Appearently they had taken a cab, currently Sanders people were searching for the driver, interrogating witnesses. 

It felt like a movie, a bad one, but not like something he wanted to call his life. Slowly it began to dawn in his mind that the life he had lived in the past few years would come to an end...at least for some time. The tour had been cancled, the media ripped out every nasty piece they found, Tylers reputation was practically ruined...and his own as well. That was it, that was the end of their carrer. Josh just prayed it wouldn't be the end of their friendship as well. Letting his head fall in his hands he remembered all the times they had talked about their dreams, all the time he looked at his friend and felt that warmth in his soul, that indisputeable knowledge that they were soumates. 

Now he felt twice as far from Tyler then he ever had. They had been riding too high, they maybe just had gotten too close to the sun...or they shouldn't have tried from the beginning. Josh realised that with all the problems his friend had the constant touring, the interviews, the fame might have been the last piece needed to throw Tyler over the edge entirely...and himself. All he wanted to do was getting back to LA, getting back to Debby, trying to pick up the pieces of what was left of them. He wanted to see his family, to hug his siblings, to cry on his mothers shoulder. Josh just wanted to go home, not knowing if there even still existed a place he could call that. 

 

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Beyond time, beyond space, only their breaths that mixed up as they were pressed together, holding each other as thight as they could. Still they were on the floor, right in the place he had taken them after she did her plea still their bodys shaking from the pleasure and the pain, the first of the situation. Tender fingers stroked over the marks on her flesh, soothed and reminded her at the same time and she leaned into his touch, finally opening her light blue eyes to meet his brown, dark ones.

"I love you so freaking much." he whispered as their glances crossed and the tired smile on her lips told him that she was just feeling the same. Letting her head fall on his shoulder again Jenna didn't fight back the tears anymore then. She was happy and sad that this happened, happy because finally they seemed to be whole, complete with each other, sad because she knew this would take a long time for him to heal. A time full of seperations and worry. A time full of fear. There was one last thing to do before they could go home, try to find out what future was waiting for them. Blinking the pearls of salty water away she raised her voice just enough to be heared. 

"I'll have to go back to Logan, Ty. I need to help him get that kid out." She felt him go rigid, but still his breath stayed regular, calm. "You can't. I didn't take the money with me, nor the passports. And I don't think it would be the right solution. I'm sorry about what happened to that girl. I will have to think about that a lot, to cope with being guilty for something like that. But still...what Logan does is not right, Jen, even if we can understand why he does so." Shaking her head slightly in despair her voice broke. "But what then? Let him get caught by the police, let her go back to this terrible, terrible people?" Taking her hand in his, tracing her fingers with his thumb Tyler sighed deeply. "I'm afraid whatever is going to happen from now on...it's not ours to decide anymore." 

 

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Ripping the squad cars door open Sanders tried to be as kind and smooth as she could, given the fact that the drummer seemed to have finally broken down. He sat there, his head in his hands, his whole body slumbed into himself. As she had done before she hesitated to touch him, but finally shook his shoulder lightly. He didn't raise his eyes. "Joshua?" she whispered, not gaining a reaction. "Josh, Tyler called. We know where they are. We're going to pick them up now and then drive to the motel Logan stays with the girl in. I'll let you be brought back to your hotel if this is ok with you." 

Feeling him starting to shake Karen overstepped her own boundaries then, lowered herself on the seat beside him and just pulled him in, held him while he cried. "It is over." she whispered, stroking his messy hair. "It's over."

 

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Savannah stood at the door as the blue and red lights split the night, her travelling bag beside her. She didn't look back when she picked it up, tried to carry the heavy thing towards the policeman, that rushed to get the girl out of what they thought was a danger zone. One of them approached her, picked her up and ran to the cars with her, telling her everything was going to be ok, that she was safe now. 

The girl didn't care if it was a lie or not. There was nothing left she cared about, because all she ever did have had left with the blood running out of her fathers wrists as she held him while he died.


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...we've made it this far, kids. Yeah I know, bad pun. Was not intended. 
> 
> Will try to get my other longer story "Knocked up" going again, maybe you'd like to check out on that? 
> 
> thx for reading, kudos and comments....you're all way to kind!

"Joshieeeeeeeeee!" squeaking at the top of her lungs Savannah ran through the yard and collided with the drummer, who had just left his car. Catching her in his arms, pulling her up and spinning her around Josh mirrored her wide smile that grew even more happy when she threw her thin arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "Are you gonna stay? I'm going to have my first dance lesson tomorrow! Will you watch? I got a picture for you! And Jenna got me a kittie! You love kitties! I'll show you her!" 

Over exited the young girl wriggled herself free and ran back to the house, pushing past Jenna who leaned in the doorframe with her arms crossed and a small smile on her lips. She didn't move until Josh came up to her and they both fell into a thight hug, stroking each others back and enjoying the feeling of being reunited again. "We've missed you guys a lot!" she finally said when shen pulled back, studying his face. "Ask me! Debby is so sorry she couldn't come, but she has to get that film ready before we go on tour." Walking inside the house where Savannah despertly tried to find her new kitten they sat down on the kitchen table, not letting go of their hands. 

"So it's official now? You'll be her drummer for that whole tour?" Josh averted her eyes, so she reached out and catched his chin, making him face her. "Hey, it's ok. I'm not mad at you. And he won't be mad either." "Are you sure? I feel like I'm abandoning him. I mean...I didn't even visit him once since he's away and now I leave with another band. Are you sure I'll not be triggering something?" Sighing Jenna let her thumb ran over his cheek. "Ty has changed a lot Joshua. Of course this will effect him, but he told me just two days ago that all he wants is us all to be happy. He'll understand." 

Amused observing Savannah's tries to bait the kittie out from under the couch Josh decided to drop the object for now. "When will he be back?" "Two months, maybe three. Nobody can tell for sure at that point. It is important for him to feel really comfortable with himself before he returns. Down there he has the quiet he needs to accomplish that." Standing up and starting to head over to the girl she gave over her shoulder: "He even started writing songs again." The drummers head shot up at that and Jenna could feel the warmth around her heart rise.

All of them had been through hard times lately, all of them needed to heal. Lately she had started to finally see the signs that they were on the way there. Josh and Debby had found each other again and it was probably just a matter of time until they would marry. With the help of her laywers she had been able to get the custody for Savannah and the girl lived with her for about a year now. Twice a week they drove down to the psychological medical center some citys away. Tyler had decided to go there after their return and even if she hadn't been content on that with him in the first place, she agreed with every month she saw him getting better, finding some kind of truce with himself.

He even had found the strenght to call Mark, it had been an hourlong conversation full of yells, tears, curses and bitterness on the videographers side, while Tyler just listened and apologised for everything he had done when the other finally was out of breath of rage. Josh and him hadn't talked since the day Tyler chained him to the wheel though. Jenna knew that both of them longed for each others presence, but also both knew that they were not good for each other, not at that point. The drummer needed to find a new purpose in life, for too long he had fixed himself on being there for his friend. 

Smiling under the tears that started to slip as she watched Josh and Savannah playing with the kitten Jenna fumbled with the ring on her finger. It was over. They were getting better. They were going to be ok.


End file.
